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by AsMuchAsIWish



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, BAMF Luna Lovegood, Canon-Typical Violence, Daughter of Tony Stark, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Grandmother-Granddaughter Relationship, Interplanetary Travel, M/M, Magic, Multi, Multiverse, Mutant Powers, Non-Canonical Violence, Original Female Character acts like Luna Lovegood, Parallel Universes, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Poly Relationship, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Frigga (Marvel), Protective Wade Wilson, Seer Luna Lovegood, Stubborn Steve Rogers, Time Travel Fix-It, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark's Daughter Reader, Wade Wilson Needs A Hug, War, between original characters, daughter of Steve Rogers, daughter of Stony, long chapters, young wade wilson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 44,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28660821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsMuchAsIWish/pseuds/AsMuchAsIWish
Summary: "When Peter Parker awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was cold.The second thing was that he couldn’t feel his left leg, sharp pain he correlated with broken bones erupted from his fingers, and his brain was pounding with his heart beat."Without knowing it, Peter Parker was kidnapped and tortured.Without knowing it, Peter Parker was saved and healed.Without knowing it, Peter Parker found a home and family in those that saved him, and those he found much later -- at the cost of Aunt May's life, Tony Stark's time and care, and the loss of his "normal" life.With Tony Stark and the Avengers fighting Thanos on a different planet, far from time and Earth, the small group of Peter, his closest and most loyal friends Ned and MJ, the strong and knowledgeable All-Mother Lady Frigga, and his mind-wandering savior from an alternate reality, Jade, are set to travel through the multiverse: saving the vulnerable and destroying those that plan to do it harm.In an effort to attain peace within each dimensional world and realm, Peter and his friends know that Jade Maria Stark-Rogers is the only one who can do it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s), Wade Wilson/Peter Parker/Michelle Jones
Kudos: 7





	1. Where is Peter Parker?

**Author's Note:**

> "He is my father, but I do not know him."
> 
> \--Unknown

**Chapter One: Where is Peter Parker?**

When Peter Parker awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was cold.

The second thing was that he couldn’t feel his left leg, sharp pain he correlated with broken bones erupted from his fingers, and his brain was pounding with his heart beat. 

A wet cough struggled its way out of his throat, and when he allowed it to exit, most of it stayed on his tongue.  _ My tongue _ . He ran it over the roof of his mouth, feeling the cliché tell-tale sign of dry mouth. His tongue nudged against something rough -- fabric rough -- and when he moved his tongue around it to poke out of his lips, he noticed they were just as dry. His brain gave a sharp cry of pain, and his eyebrows furrowed in a wince. Blinking open his tired eyes, he took in the room he was held in.

It was dark, so at first he couldn't see much. But he blinked the bleariness away and was able to focus his spider eyes on the area around him. The room appeared to be cave-like; it was dark, damp, and musty. He could hear the faint sound of water droplets landing on the floor rooms away, and others dropping in tin buckets. The room smelt like Peter thought a cave would smell like, and from his limited vision, the walls looked as though they were the rock wall situated at the bottom of a cliff. 

He shook his head, trying to get another stab of pain to go away when he caught sight of his body. His wrists were tied tightly down onto the chair, along with his ankles and waist. The fabric in his mouth must have been a gag and, considering how dark this cave-like room was, the kidnappers must have thought a blindfold wasn’t needed.

_ Kidnappers _ . 

Peter was sure it left a foul taste in his mouth, regardless of the dryness he already tasted.

_ But who would want to kidnap me? _ He paused, grimacing at himself. That was a stupid question. Who  _ wouldn’t  _ want to kidnap Spider-Man? A red-and-blue, web-slinging, happy-go-lucky, annoying vigilante that stopped low-tier crime with a mixture of luck and stupidity. Any “antagonist”/“villain” in their right mind would want him out of the picture if they wanted a drug deal to go well, or a kidnapping to take place with minimal interference. Now,  _ Peter Parker _ on the other hand? If one looked hard enough, they could see that he was an intern at Stark Industries, to Tony Stark himself. That could give someone plenty of motive to kidnap and/or torture him. 

But the question was, how did they get to Peter? What was he doing? Was he walking home from school, or fighting a mugger in an alleyway? He closed his eyes, trying hard to think back to what he was doing before he got...wherever he was. 

The sharp pain in his head came back full-force, and he let out a huff of air that no-doubtedly would tip off whoever was holding him that he was awake.  _ Why can’t I remember what I was doing before here? _ He forced his eyes open and looked down at his clothes, raising his right leg -- or only leg, considering he still couldn’t feel the left -- and ran rubbed the fabric against the skin of his palm. His fingers were undoubtedly broken  _ (maybe from punching someone too hard?) _ but his wrist and palm still worked fine. The fabric that brushed his palm was definitely a pair of jeans, and when he shifted in his seat to put his leg back down, he couldn’t feel the tell-tale tightness of Mr. Stark’s suit against his skin. 

_ Mr. Stark. _ Peter felt a small bout of relief fill him.  _ Mr. Stark had May’s number, and if I don’t make it home for dinner, or contact her, she will call him and tell him I’m gone. And if that doesn't work, she’ll tell Happy.  _ Peter wouldn’t lie; the thought that his Aunt May would realize he was gone, sooner or later, and call for backup from an  _ Avenger  _ calmed him immensely.  _ Of course, I have to try to get out of here, myself. Don’t want Mr. Stark to think I’m weak or can’t protect myself.  _ He nodded to himself, determined to get himself out of his binds by struggling with his inhuman strength. Surely, the kidnappers wouldn’t know about  _ that  _ if they kidnapped him as Peter Parker, student and intern at Stark Industries.

He didn’t want to think about how, even though it had been a year since the Avengers’ “Civil War,” Tony Stark was still healing from the wounds he received. He barely called Peter anymore, and if Peter needed anything, he had to call Happy -- which he didn’t mind, of course, because Happy was his friend, even though it hurt a bit. And while he had a fancy certificate stating he was Tony’s Intern, he wasn’t allowed in the workshop anymore; all of his work was done in the R&D labs, stuck with all of the boring work the  _ actual  _ scientist employees didn’t want to do. Sometimes, Peter wondered if Stark actually knew he was still around, waiting for the older man to come by and see him. Maybe even have a chat about the weather. 

Deep down, he secretly wondered if he even  _ wanted  _ to work at S.I. anymore. 

There was a shout from the hallway outside of his door, and then heavy footsteps. Peter felt his stomach twist and a sheen of fearful sweat grow at his brow. He still didn’t know what was wrong with his leg or why his body hurt so much, but he  _ had  _ to get out of here. He struggled more as the footsteps slowly got closer. The rope wasn’t fraying or ripping, and the chair was scraping loudly against the floor. Taking a deep breath, he stopped struggling and waited with baited breath as the footsteps stopped outside of his door. Keeping his head high, he glared at the door as it was slowly pushed open, yellow light flooding into the dark room.

“Ah,” a deep, bone-shuddering voice drawled, “you’re  _ finally  _ awake, Peter...Parker.” From the black silhouette with artificial, yellow-light surrounding it, Peter deduced that the man was close to six feet tall and extremely muscular; his shoulders were broad, his arms were long, and his hands and feet were probably larger than the average male’s. The man took a step in, Peter’s thoughts racing. If he called him Peter Parker, then hopefully, he was right. “You’ve been out for three days; thought I sent you into a coma.” He chuckled darkly, and a shiver went down Peter’s spine, starting at his neck.  _ Okay, so there’s just one guy? _ His Spidey-Senses were tingling, and it wasn’t in a good way. The man’s arm reached over and he flipped a switch, a bath of yellow light filling the room. 

Peter flinched. While they weren’t LED lights, and not nearly as bright, they were bright enough to send a stab of pain through his eyes and into his head. The man stepped into the room, dressed in black and head completely hairless -- facial and all. His eyes were a dark brown, and his skin was as white as Peter’s own. But Peter had no idea who the man was, and looking around the now seeable room, Peter could only gulp with terror. 

Yes, he was in his civilian clothes.

Yes, his fingers were bloody and broken.

Yes, this did seem to be a cave-like room.

No, he didn’t know where this place was.

No, his leg wasn’t amputated; merely a knife sticking out of it.

No, he did not know  _ why  _ there seemed to be torture devices on the wall.

“Where am I?” Peter asked, eyes now solely on the man. His voice was muffled, and he could barely tell what he said, but the man understood. He stood near a metal table standing against the wall, a metal backboard hooked up to it and carrying pliers and blades -- things he had never seen before, and things he’s pretty sure May used while “fake gardening.”  _ (Their apartment had no garden they could actually plant things in, so it was mostly indoor pots and planters.) _ “Who are you?”

“My name is Amos Rivera, Mr. Parker.” Peter tried to concentrate on gathering information about the man and the room, hoping it would occupy his time and calm him down in the long run. “You are in a cave connected to the National Park, Stone Bridge and Caves.” He raised a hand, motioning to the room around them. “This one is on private government property, though, so the park can’t use it, unfortunately.” Peter’s eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes looking off to the side in confusion. 

_ These caves are...like five hours away by car -- maybe four on a good day, or after hours. And Government property? Who is this man?  _ Something cold and sharp ran across his cheek, making him jerk back harshly. The man laughed, the malicious sound grating on Peter’s nerves and anchoring his fear to the pit of his stomach, and scrutinized the young boy.

“Eyes on me, Mr. Parker. I haven’t told you the  _ best  _ part of it.” Amos began to walk around Peter, the knife trailing from his cheek to his hairline, around the back of his head, and then to his right cheek, talking as he roamed. “The best part is that his building is not on official records. No one knows about this place other than a handful of people sworn to secrecy. Those who even hint at it in the slightest are executed.” He smiled down at the boy, taking pleasure in Peter’s obvious fear and walking around him again. “We do experiments that  _ transcend  _ all others, and have succeeded on many accounts -- contrary to other groups that try. We take, we test, and we kill.” Amos stopped directly in front of Peter, once again, and held the sharp blade to Peter’s throat. “And you, Mr. Parker, are going to help us.” He put the knife under the gag and pulled, cut the gag in one slick motion without slicing Peter’s skin. Peter spit out the fabric, one piece remaining on his shoulder and the other landing in his lap.

“I can’t help you-,” Peter’s soft voice was cut off with a swift and harsh punch to the jaw, his head snapping to the side and a gasp of pain escaping his lips. Before he could breathe and process what had happened, his head was pulled back by a hand tightly gripping his hair. He was forced to look into the almost-black eyes of Amos Rivera, someone he  _ didn’t know _ , and take in the angered scowl that almost made his white face red.

“ _ Try again. _ ” Amos remained there for a moment before he let go of Peter’s hair, moving back to stand straight once again. Peter spit onto the floor, removing the blood that was in his mouth, and licked his lips.

“I don’t even know who you are.” His voice was calm and cool, and inwardly, Peter rejoiced at remembering the way MJ spoke to bullies. He almost grimaced; her name brought up images of her, along with a deep longing to see her. He had no time to think about her as Amos released a chuckle, another “friendly” grin appearing on his face.

“Of course you do, Mr. Parker. I just told you who I was.” Peter didn’t back down.

“I meant who you  _ work  _ for.” Amos’ eye twitched and Peter clenched his jaw once. Glaring up into the man’s eyes, Peter spilled out words with a harsh tone. “You’re keeping things from me. How could I even begin to help you when I don’t even know who you work for, or what your bosses want?” Amos was silent for a moment, his expression now assessing and calculating. Peter took in deep breaths, counting up from one as he waited for another blow.

“They told me you’d be chatty,” the man finally groused, sending the boy an unimpressed look. Peter raised an eyebrow, copying a signature  _ Tony Stark Look _ , and waited for the man to say more. “Alright. I’ll play your little game, Mr. Parker.” He turned around and grabbed a metal chair that was leaning against the wall, folding it down so it was sit-able. Amos huffed out a breath and crossed his legs, leaning back in the chair with his eyes locked on the boy. “I’ll give you thirty minutes of honesty, but then you must answer my own questions with the same.” To show that he meant business, he pulled a wristwatch with a light-up face out of his blazer pocket and typed in “30:00,” showing the boy his “old-man-timer” -- as Tony Stark used to say. 

“Alright.” It was an immediate response that Peter regretted almost immediately. Amos, however, was grinning from ear to ear, rolling his shoulders back and pressing the start button. The watch beeped once and started counting down the seconds, Amos placing it on the floor near the legs of the chair while waiting patiently for the questions. Peter took in a breath and licked his lips, tasting bloody copper. “How did I get here?”

“Easy: we nabbed you while you were walking home from school.” 

“Who’s ‘we’?” Amos clenched his jaw once before feigning nonchalance. 

“A couple of friends. Don’t worry, it’s just you and me for a while, bud.” Peter didn’t find any solace in Amos’ words, or his laughter.

“What’s with the bloody knuckles and knife in my leg?” 

“Oh,  _ those _ . Suppose you wouldn't remember the fight.” Amos looked Peter up and down, an impressed glint in the man’s eyes. “We nabbed you in a back alley. You got in a couple good swings, killed one of my men by pushing him into a dumpster -- dumbass hit his head on the way down, so I guess it was really his  _ own  _ fault. One of the others got a knife in you to get you down while I administered the sedative. Took a bit longer than anticipated, but we got here on time.” Amos was distinctly proud of himself, and Peter had to wait a moment to ask another question. He could feel the anger and distress warring within him. He was proud at not having killed anyone as Spider-Man, but to have helped someone die while being  _ Peter Parker _ ? It sent dark feelings rushing through him -- sick smugness but mostly self-loathing.

“Who do you work for? HYDRA?” Amos snorted, disgusted.

“ _ Those _ clowns? Hardly.” He interlocked his hands on his lap, cool and calm. “HYDRA was a major part of that shitty organization named SHIELD -- one brought down easily by their own employee, the  _ Black Widow _ , if I remember correctly. No, no, they are not the people I would ever work for; my skills would be used improperly if I did.” Peter felt the burning sensation of bile at the back of his throat. He didn’t like where this was going. “No,  _ I  _ work for the CIA.” 

“ _ What _ ?” Peter was appalled, his face most likely growing whiter than it already was, and racing thoughts filling him with anxiety and panic he couldn’t control. Amos found it amusing.

“Yes, the CIA.” He fuddled with the cuffs of his blazer nonchalantly, though Peter knew this whole “game” was  _ amusing  _ the sick bastard. “When the CIA was established into what it is today in 1947, it was given the basis of four tasks: one, advise the National Security Council (or NSC) on all instances regarding National security; two, make recommendations to the NSC regarding the coordination of intelligence activities of the Departments; three, correlate and evaluate intelligence and provide for its appropriate dissemination; and lastly, perform such other functions the NSC will from time to time direct.” He chuckled, giving a mocking “light-hearted” grin to the boy. “What a  _ mouthful _ , am I right?” Peter didn’t say anything, but Amos didn’t care -- he was on a roll, tone turning harsher as he talked more. “The CIA is the  _ Center of Intelligence _ , but SHIELD and HYDRA have the  _ audacity  _ to know things and  _ refuse  _ to tell us. They have Norse Gods at their beck-and-call, top-level assassins the CIA wanted  _ first  _ \-- we even  _ told  _ them about Romanoff and Barton, and they stole them from under our noses! They have the Hulk’s loyalty and Dr. Banner’s work, the world’s First Superhero and his Deranged Sidekick, magicians and African Royalty, and worse of all, they have a narcissistic, megalomaniac billionaire that  _ refuses to fund any Government agency other than SHIELD _ .” He stopped himself, clenching his jaw and breathing deeply to hold in his anger. 

Peter felt bitter smugness at the man getting angry over the Avengers. They were better than him,  _ stronger  _ than him, and it made Amos Rivera fill with envious rage. 

“That is mostly why you are here.” He fixed his blazer cuffs and smiled pleasantly at the boy. “You work at the, former, Avengers Tower. First with Stark, of course,” Peter tensed, Amos noticing immediately and grinning, “but he  _ downgraded  _ you to experiments only for low-level employees. I wonder  _ why _ .” Peter unclenched his jaw and rolled the bone, clenching his teeth afterward and forcing a smile at the man.

“It’s still my turn. Or did you forget?” Amos clenched his own jaw and remained silent. Peter leaned back in his seat, staring at the man with a certain nonchalance. “What do you know about me?” Amos rolled his eyes, but told him, nonetheless.

“You are in your last year at Midtown Tech, have two friends named Ted and Mitch (something stupid like that), began working with Stark as an intern for a couple months before he left you for the Avengers’ little  _ Civil War _ , and when he was finally back, you were downgraded.” He was bored, crossing his arms and displaying how stupid he thought Peter’s quesiton was. 

“And what about my aunt?” Amos snapped his head up, a fresh malicious grin appearing.

“Ah, yes.  _ Aunt May _ . We can get to her later.” Peter pursed his lips, a fearful feeling welling up within him. But he bit the bullet, figuratively, and nodded. 

“What experiments happen here?” For the first time, Amos hesitated, and Peter jumped on it. “Oh, I  _ see _ .” He gave Amos a pitying yet sympathizing look. “Did you get demoted, too? I feel for you, man.” Amos stood up in a rush, a snarl on his lips and his metal chair clanking loudly as it hit the concrete floor.  _ Gotcha. _

“I did not get  _ demoted _ , you dim-witted toothpick. I am the highest ranking tortureer there is, here! I get answers when I want them, and most of the time, _ I don’t have to ask _ .” Spittle was flying from his mouth, and his face was growing beat red, veins twisting in his forehead and throat. Peter pulled his best  _ “I’m-terrified-of-you” _ look out of his ass and watched as Amos unravelled before him. “People fear me -- no, high ranking people  _ all over the world _ , fear me. And trust me, when I am through with you, Peter Parker, the Avengers will fear me, as well.” Peter raised an eyebrow, frowning. 

“So,” he drawled, cocking his head, “you  _ do  _ know about the experiments?” 

“ _ Of course I do, you stupid punk _ !” Once again, Peter was punched in the face, Amos aiming and, successfully, breaking his nose. Peter grunted, clenching his eyes and jaw shut as pain racked his face. “We have gathered esteemed scientists from all over the world, and have traveled into multiple  _ dimensions _ \-- something SHIELD has  _ never  _ done, and  _ will never _ do! We have successfully created a device that we can use to jump through  _ multiple universes, _ used it to gather weapons that can  _ take down multiple Gods at once _ , and have gained control over many ‘mythological’ monsters that will bring down the Avengers _ once and for all! _ ” Peter’s face was brought to the front through a firm grip on his chin, pushing his lips together and making his cheeks scrunch up. Amos was staring into his eyes, a “Mad Scientist” look in his eyes. “Now, all we need is everything you know, and we’ll be set.”

Peter would have replied, but the pocket watch went off and Amos moved back. Inwardly, Peter panicked. He wasn’t ready to answer any of the questions planned -- he didn’t know everything he needed to know! Who was here? How many people are in the building? What about his Aunt, and Mr. Stark? Amos grabbed the watch off of the ground, turned it off, and stuffed it into his pocket. He picked up the chair and leaned it, gently, back against the wall, shucking his blazer off and placing it on top of it. Turning around with a sickly sweet smile, Amos walked to the table filled with numerous torutre tools.

_ Torture _ . The word filled him with fear. He’d never been  _ tortured  _ before. What should he do? Should he try to fight? What will ensure his survival? Amos ran his fingers over the objects, looking at Peter appraisingly. As if he were trying to decide if Peter was a squealer or a screamer.

“Now, Mr. Parker, it is  _ my turn _ to ask the questions.” He held up a pair of garden shears, running his fingers over the scissor-like blades. “Of course, I answered all of yours, so it would only be fair for me to receive the same treatment. But, I  _ understand _ .” Amos gave Peter a sympathizing smile similar to the one Peter had given him not even eight minutes earlier. “You were kidnapped. You’re either scared, angry, or thinking up lies to spout the second we start. So. In order to make sure you tell me everything I want to know,” he reached into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone and entering a passcode, holding up the screen, “we took precautions.”

In a dark cell just like his own, Peter’s unconscious Aunt May sat tied in a chair, blood coming from the hairline of her forehead. A man in black waved through the camera, and Peter felt bile crawl up his throat. The blood was rushing to his head in anger and, once again, he struggled against the bonds holding him.

“Let her go! She has nothing to do with this, I’ll tell you everything you want to know!” His voice was loud, his words bouncing around the walls of the cave and almost startling Amos. “She knows nothing about Stark Industries, she’s useless to you!” Peter knew his angry tone would dial down into desperation, but he didn’t care. As long as his only remaining family was safe, Peter would tell the man all he needed to know. Amos gave Peter a scowling snarl, hitting the boy on the other side of his nose. Peter’s head snapped into another direction and tears started to roll down his face, his face burning with pain and eyes stinging.

“Speak to me with  _ respect _ , boy.” Amos held up his knife, putting it against the boy’s throat. “As long as you tell me the truth about what I want to know -- and trust me, I  _ will  _ know if you lie -- then we will let her go. This will be nothing more than a bad dream.” He ran the knife over the boy’s cheek, a sympathizing smile on his face once again. “So, question number one: what do you know about _ Iron Man’s _ suits?”

~+~+~+~+~

Peter didn’t know how long he had been captured; how long he was tortured.

It felt like weeks, but Peter knew it was possible that it was only a couple days. Stuck in the dark, the only things he could do was sleep and think, the torture meetings merging together in his mind. So far, he had gathered that Amos got angrier when it got closer to the time he needed to leave -- his phone beeping obnoxiously to alert him. Then, Amos would knock Peter out  _ (either with drugs or his fist) _ , and when Peter awoke, he was alone in a dark room once again. He counted those times as night-time and day-time was with Amos. 

So if he was somewhat close, then that meant he’d been there over ten days.

Amos held true to his word. The man knew when Peter lied, and took great pleasure in hurting him in return. At first, it was simple abuse, but as the lies either got more elaborate or became truths Amos didn’t like, he moved onto blades, iron pokers, garden shears, and other items Peter couldn’t remember the names to. Peter’s mutated DNA made the torture worse; he had known for a long time that his pain tolerance to physical abuse was high, but heat and cuts brought his pain tolerance to a negative number  _ (if that was possible) _ . He ended up passing out from the pain more than Amos liked.

He had hoped that he would die from starvation or thirst -- it would be painful, but it was better than dying of blood loss from  _ torture  _ \-- but Amos came prepared. He would force Peter to eat stale bread and instant mashed potatoes before forcing cave water down his throat. Soon enough, his thoughts were on survival mode, playing on loop:  _ I need food, I need water, I need to get out of here.  _ From time to time, stray thoughts would pop up -- “ _ Where is Mr. Stark?”  _ Or “ _ I need protein or I’ll be susceptible to brainwashing.” _ \-- but they were overrun with the others.

But now, he was awake, remembering how Amos’ previous visit went. 

It hadn’t started out bad. He asked some questions about a SHIELD Mission Peter had no recollection of, and didn’t believe him when he told the truth. He had sliced into the boy’s skin, forced him underwater for a short amount of time, and verbally abused him. Peter almost believed him --  _ Mr. Stark wasn’t here, and he won’t save me because he doesn’t care _ \-- until a sharp pain in his face brought him out of his pitiful thoughts. Amos was standing near him, grinning evilly as he held a glowing green knife to Peter’s forehead, right above his left eyebrow. Amos had bragged about it, saying it was a knife made out of a giant, venomous snake tooth and green leather from its father. They had got it from another dimension, but Peter couldn’t remember where this dimension was, who made the knife, or why it glowed green. And now, he was holding it to Peter’s face, two inches from his eye.

_ “Don’t worry,” _ he had whispered to Peter, his breath smelling like fish and making him nauseous, _ “this won’t hurt a bit.” _

Peter screamed in pain -- screaming for Amos to stop, screaming for someone to help, screaming about not knowing that stupid mission -- as the knife was forced into the skin of his left brow and dragged down in an agonizingly slow pace. Amos stopped when he reached the bottom of Peter’s eyebrow, jumping over Peter’s eye to continue a centimeter from the bottom of his eye, bringing it slowly down his cheekbone and to his chin. The open wound that remained was a jagged, vertical line that burned and itched and gushed with blood. Peter knew the cut would turn into a scar, and the thought of returning to his last year of school with it made him want to puke on the vile man before him. Amos watched with sadistic pleasure as Peter trembled and sobbed, tears mixing in with the blood that was pumping out of his face. When he had gotten bored, he leaned in to whisper into Peter’s ear.

_ “You know what, Mr. Parker? I believe you.” _ And then the knife was in his side and Amos was gone, the peaceful blackness of unconsciousness meeting him happily.

Looking down at his body, the glowing green knife was still stuck in his side, pulsing a sickly green glow. From what he could gather, his quick healing was at an all time low, and some of his wounds were infected. His left eye burned with his blood, and the left side of his face was still ablaze with pain, but Amos appeared to have placed a bandage half-done on his cheek to stop some of the bleeding. He was feverish, starving to high heaven, and he still couldn’t feel his left leg. But then again, he couldn’t feet his fingers, toes, and right calf either.

He wondered if that meant -- should he _escape_ and _survive,_ if being unable to feel those parts of his body meant he wouldn’t be able to use them anymore. What if he couldn’t walk anymore, or write his name? A bitter laugh escaped Peter’s mouth, turning into sobs as tears rolled down his face. _The simple things I took for granted -- walking, writing, talking to people, everything -- are going to be taken away because of this. I can’t be Spider-Man; I can’t help people._ He looked up at the dark ceiling, the pain in his face burning. _I can’t even look at anyone. All they’ll see will be the scar on my face and the dead look in my eyes._ Images of his Aunt May passed through his mind, then Ned and MJ, Mr. Stark and Happy. _Why haven’t they found me yet? Why won’t_ ** _somebody help me?_** Peter let out a sob and closed his eyes, his head down and anguish rolling through him. He wanted to be saved, but was he really worth saving anymore? 

The metal door Amos always came through made a sound. Peter gasped, snapping his head up with fear. Amos was a loud walker; Peter would have heard him coming. But the door had never made a sound aside from opening to Amos. Considering he only saw the one man, Peter wondered briefly if there were even multiple men from the CIA holding him captive. The door made another sound and was slowly pushed open, the ominous creaking loud in the cave. 

“Hn,” Peter grunted, a flicker of hope filling his chest that this was someone who could help him. The creaking stopped for a moment and he grunted again, unable to form words. The door was pushed open more and Amos stood there, staring at him. Peter jerked back, snapping his head to the left with his eyes tightly shut and whimpers escaping his clenched jaw. 

“ _ Peter _ !” There were footsteps. “Peter, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Peter froze. That wasn’t Amos’ voice. It was too high-pitched, too nice and relieved, too... _ female _ . The soft pads of fingertips -- softer than anything he had felt before -- touched his bruised right-sided cheek. Amos’ hands weren’t soft; they were calloused and blistered, hard and unforgiving. The fingers turned into a palm that rested gently against him, body heat bleeding into his stone cold skin. When Peter breathed in, he smelled the distinct, nostalgic scent of  _ paint _ . Paint he used to use in elementary when the class finger painted in art, or were learning about colors. He hadn’t smelt that paint in a long time, and while he was never good at painting  _ (technology was much better, in his opinion) _ , he felt himself wanting to be a child again just to have the chance to paint.

“It’s okay, Peter. I won’t hurt you.” There it was again, that female voice.  _ Was this some sort of trick? It had to be. No one other than Amos had been down here. _ “Can you look at me? Please?” Peter found himself obeying, his eyes opening in response and head slowly moving to look at the person before him. “I finally  _ found  _ you, Peter.” 

He was met with dark eyes, eyes he couldn’t exactly see in the lighting but could tell they were openly kind and slightly wet with tears.  _ Why is she crying? Does she know me? _ The girl looked to be overly pale, and everything she wore was black, including the beanie covering her head. But she was societally beautiful -- angular face, full lips, small-ish nose, plucked and primed eyebrows, and some bangs over her slightly large forehead  _ (her hair was a lighter color; maybe blonde?). _ Her eyes were running over his face, a frown tugging at her lips when she looked at the long cut on his face. She moved back a bit, running her eyes over his body and taking in the two daggers that were stuck in his side and leg. 

“Who…,” Peter trailed off, head lolling to the side as he blinked blearily at the girl. The small flicker of hope was growing within him, but he didn’t know her. Wouldn’t he have remembered if he did? Her fingers covered his mouth, and he looked up at her through his lashes. She had a finger pressed against her lips.  _ Her nails are dark. Are they painted? _

“I’ll tell you everything later, Peter, okay? Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll wake you when you’re safe.” Her voice soothed him, his body relaxing.  _ Maybe she has powers? _ His head lolled to the side again, his eyes shutting as sleep crawled through his mind. “I’ll keep you safe, Peter. I won’t let you go, again.  _ Never  _ again.” 


	2. The Story of Jade Maria Stark-Rogers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's worth  
> Whatever Chaos  
> She brings to the table,  
> And you know it.
> 
> \-- Mark Anthony

**Chapter Two: The Story of Jade Maria Stark-Rogers**

The next time Peter awoke, time had passed him by once again. 

And once again, he had no idea where he was, or how long it had been.

He noticed that his body  _ felt  _ much better. His muscles aren't sore, his head didn’t pound, his face didn’t have the agonizing burn, and he could move his right calf once again. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t feel his left leg or fingers and toes, only dull thrums of pain were sent from those areas to his brain. _ That is good,  _ part of him thought.  _ That means they most likely aren’t paralyzed; maybe I can move them, soon. _

“Peter?” His heart startled, and his eyes popped open. An unwanted whimper left his lips, and his breathing began going fast. The voice had been hesitant -- fearful, even -- but Peter barely noticed, too fearful of who the person had the potential to be (ex. Amos Rivera in a disguise). “Peter, it’s okay. You’re  _ safe _ , now.” A soft, warm hand was placed on his forearm, making him freeze and tense. “Think back. You were in a cave, remember? And there was a girl, she entered your cell. That was  _ me _ .” Peter licked his lips, noting they felt just as dry and chapped as they did in the cave. 

He stared at the ceiling, trying to take calming breaths. It looked almost white, maybe a grey, and consisted of multiple panel-like tiles. He looked down, eyes running over the right side of the room, far away from the person sitting on his left. Peter was in a room...a room with a door, a bed, an IV stand, a window --  _ an IV stand? _ Peter looked down at himself and could have cried out with relief: he was in a hospital. He had casts on each limb, vitamins and whatever else nurses put in IV Bags were going into his body through a vein on his arm, and he was relatively clean. One of the nurses must have given him a sponge bath or something. 

“Are you feeling better?” Peter turned to look at the person, seeing a girl sitting in the chair beside his very own  _ hospital bed _ . 

The girl was... _ startling _ to look at. While she was pretty -- there was no doubt about that -- she wasn’t what he had expected. The first thing he noticed was her hair, dyed into the colors of the rainbow. They were in pigtails that fell in soft curls around her shoulders, which brought his eyes to her outfit. She was wearing a white and pastel blue dress that consisted mostly of lace and sheer fabric. The top half of the dress was an opaque white that covered her chest, but the flowing sleeves were sheer. There were two lacy straps on her shoulders, and a single row of frills at the bottom of the sleeves. The bottom half of the dress was a pastel blue mermaid skirt with a couple rows of frills going across the bottom of the dress in a diagonal fashion, and a bow was tied around her waist in the same blue fabric with a pink rose in the middle. Small pink and red flowers covered the pastel blue skirt in a clearly printed fashion, but the frills’ flowers were pressed together due to the frilly wrinkles. She had a gold chain around her neck with a small, pale-pink gem, and a bright smile painted her pale-pink lips. Her expression was gentle, eyebrows arched slightly up  _ (Peter thought it odd her eyebrows were dyed, too) _ , and eyes the weirdest shade of blue -- more like a blue-violet. She was obviously wearing makeup as both of her eyelids and cheeks were covered in light blue and pink eyeshadows in an artful display. 

“Hello, Peter.” Her voice sent a wave of calm through him, and he distinctly remembered wondering if she had a power she used through her voice before he passed out. “Are you feeling better?” He nodded once and swallowed, his eyes unable to look away from the girl but also unable to find water he could drink. “Here.” She held up a plastic cup and a spoon, standing to move closer to him. “Doc said you can only have ice chips.” 

Peter let out a noise of discontent as she began feeding him the ice chips. They were cold and soothing on his tongue, but they melted too fast and he wanted more, looking up at the girl with begging in his eyes. She gave him a small, sad smile but complied nonetheless. Once the ice chips were gone, she sat down and returned her hand to his forearm. He looked down at her hand. Her fingers were long, but they looked even longer with the blue and red, claw-shaped nails adorning them. They were his colors -- _Spider-Man’s_ dark colors -- and didn’t match the color scheme she was obviously going for.

“Do you like them? I got them just for you, before I left home.” His eyes snapped up at her, a slight fear filling him.  _ Does she know I’m Spider-Man? Amos didn’t. _ The name sent a shiver of fear down his spine, and his eyes snapped to the hospital door, waiting for him to come storming through. She rubbed her thumb on the crook of his elbow, grabbing his attention once again. She was still giving him that small, sad smile. “Don’t be afraid, Peter. I won’t let  _ anyone  _ hurt you.” His eyebrows furrowed, the skin above his left eye itching and twinging with pain. 

“How...do you...know my...name?” Peter asked, his voice hoarse but there. The girl moved the chair closer to the medical machines on the left side of his bed, gripping his forearm with both hands as she couldn’t do so with his own. She gave him a look that confused him. She looked as though she knew  _ exactly  _ who Peter Parker was. “Who...are you?”

“It’s a long story.” He didn’t reply, wanting to save his energy, but gave her a look to show he would not back down. She frowned slightly, beginning to rub her thumb on the crook of his elbow once again. “My name is Jade Maria Stark-Rogers. I’m from the  _ Earth-982  _ dimension.” Peter just blinked, a growing feeling of panic and confusion filling him. “I’m not... _ from _ here, Peter.” 

Gulping down the lump in his throat, he took in a deep breath.  _ Okay, I can deal with this. Amos said they had a device to go to different dimensions and she's a Stark so obviously -- wait. She’s a Stark. _ Peter’s eyes snapped back up at the girl, widening as his face paled. “ _ Stark _ ,” he forced out, a harsh cough immediately following. She nodded, giving him a hesitant smile.

“Yes, but I am  _ not  _ the female version of Tony Stark.” Peter nodded and took in a deep breath, calming his racing heart. “This is going to be a bit difficult to understand at first, but that’s okay. I’ll re-tell it as many times as you need.” He felt oddly touched that this girl -- one he had never met and was from an entire different  _ universe  _ \-- cared enough to repeat a long story just so he understood it. She took in a deep breath, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. “Okay, so,  _ this  _ universe, the one you are from, is called  _ Earth-616 _ ; or the  _ Prime  _ Universe. Everything that happens here is important. Think of it as all of the  _ other  _ universes are parallels to  _ this  _ one; we are essentially copies of people in this universe with a twist. In this universe, the man who had you captured is named Amos Rivera.” He flinched back at the name, fear rising. But the girl --  _ Jade,  _ tightened her hold on his arm and anchored him in the present. “He will never hurt you again, Peter. Please believe me.” He looked up at her, her eyes desperate and a small frown on her face. Peter forced himself to nod, even though he was unsure if he truly believed her. She was appeased, though, and continued on. “He was mostly truthful with you: he  _ does  _ work for the CIA, they  _ do  _ own that property near the National Cave Park, and they  _ did  _ create a device that hops through the different parallel universes. 

“But I don’t believe they knew he was going to kidnap you.” A frown tugged at his lips.  _ They must have known!  _ Regardless of how many hours/days Peter had been in that cave, surely they would have noticed Amos getting sleepy on the job or not showing up to work at all. Jade allowed him a few moments to process his thoughts before she continued, “Regardless of what he told you, the CIA did not tell  _ him  _ the entire truth. He’s narcissistic and controlling; he has to know  _ everything  _ important so that he can feel important enough to talk down to others. But if he is talked back to, or feels someone he views of lesser status is ignoring him or thinks they are better than him, he flips out. He tortures them, kills them -- whatever he wants, he does. The CIA trusts his assassin abilities but not his secret-keeping abilities. They need him around to kill people they  _ don’t  _ want around..” She paused and Peter nodded, his eyebrows furrowed in thought as he remembered the way Amos acted if he felt he was being slighted by Peter. “So while they fed him stories of grandeur, they tried to make them actually come true. The only thing the CIA was successful at doing was creating a device that hops worlds. They can only be in that world for a few minutes before they are forced back to their own, but it is enough time to grab items that don’t belong to them and change the fate of that world. 

“It might not seem like much of a difference, taking a glowing knife or a favorite hat, but they have changed the outcome of many fights and that, in turn, changed fate. But Rivera doesn’t know what’s really going on. And from what he was told, he believes that the new SHIELD and Avengers are hiding important details from them. That was why he kidnapped you -- to gain the favor of the CIA by finding out what they don’t know. The only problem is that the CIA has no idea he’s done this.” Peter was frowning, processing his words. “Whether the CIA took things to change fate, knowing what could happen but not caring about the outcomes, or didn’t think too much about it and just did it anyway, they are harming the other realms.  _ And it has to stop. _ ” She stopped speaking, taking in a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves. She pursed her lips as her eyes became distant. “In my universe, everything that happened in  _ this  _ world happened fifteen years earlier. By the time I was born, you were this age; by the time I turned six, my mother died and you were old enough to take me in; by the time I turned twelve, you were in a fight, lost a right leg, and retired. A year later, you and Michelle had a baby, but she was kidnapped. 

“I had never seen you so full of resignation and grief. It was as if you knew you wouldn’t be able to help find her, and had given up before you started. And that didn’t sit right with me; it wasn’t the Peter Parker I knew. So I asked my mother and father’s coworkers if they could help. But the Avengers had retired and separated  _ several  _ years prior when I was five, and they didn’t have any attachment to you like my mother and I did --  _ do _ .” A frown played on her lips and Peter felt a strong urge to wrap her in a hug. He couldn’t follow through with it. “You went in search of her, and I followed. You were finally about to get her back, but you saw me, and you were distracted.” Her grip on him tightened. “You were killed, but your daughter survived. 

“I took her back to your house and...I was so  _ ashamed _ . I told MJ that I had found her sitting in a cardboard box in a back alley near the warehouse you had gone to. When the police arrived, they found your body.” A tear dropped from Jade’s eye, landing on her dress. She forced her sorrowful eyes up into his own, begging him to understand her. “That’s why I need you to  _ believe me  _ when I say I will never let anyone hurt you again. I failed you in my world because I wasn’t strong enough. But I’m older, now, and I worked hard; trained my powers as well as I could. I’m strong enough, and I won’t let you die because of me ever again.” Peter grunted with slight pain as he moved his right arm up and over, laying his un-casted forearm on her hands. 

“I...believe you,” he coughed, sending her a shaky smile. She almost burst into tears, but after a quick couple of breaths, she was fine. “How...have you been here so...long?” He coughed again, wanting to strangle the doctor’s for not letting him have water instead of ice chips. 

“Well,” Jade began, sniffling, “everyone has a counterpart in  _ most  _ universes. I found out about multiple universes a few months after your funeral. I realized the CIA from this world was traveling to others to steal things a couple months ago -- the second year anniversary of your death, to be honest. So I made a plan to stop it, seeing as myself and a few others are the only ones able to do so.” His eyebrows quirked up in surprise. Jade looked to be around nineteen, but if she was telling the truth -- and he believed she was -- she would only be around fifteen. And while the rainbow hair  _ did  _ make her look younger, there wasn’t anything visible that suggested she was from another universe. “My father is Steve Rogers, or Captain America, and my mother is -- well, my universe is the only one to have a  _ female  _ Tony Stark.” Peter gasped, choking. 

He should have known when she said her name was  _ Stark-Rogers _ that something would be off! Peter didn’t know whether to laugh at how confused Mr. Stark would be, or cry because the past ten-plus days of his life were shit and he was holding onto the anger, fear, and pain. Jade patted him on the shoulder, gently, and waited until he was ready. 

“I know, it’s rather weird.” He gave the girl a slight nod. “Mother told me the story all of the time when she was... _ alive _ .” She gave him a forced smile that did nothing to hide the sadness in her eyes. “I’m an accident; mom and  _ Captain America  _ got drunk and got a little too handsy. Next thing they know, I pop out nine months later.” Peter grinned, a raspy chuckle. She smiled at him, a gentle one that carried a bout of nostalgia and fondness. “I am just as smart as my mother, maybe a bit more, and she made sure I had the  _ best  _ schooling money could buy. Rogers didn’t want me, but I was his kid, so he didn’t feel comfortable asking mom to abort me. Instead, he kind of just...paid a measly child support and worked with SHIELD. He didn’t make much of an effort to see me until he decided to time travel back to his ex-girlfriend, Peggy Carter, after the Avengers split. He came to say goodbye to me when I was nine, long after mom died, but I barely knew who he was. It was awkward and uncomfortable.” The frown tugging at her lips was deeper and sadder than Peter had seen on her, so far.

“‘M sorry.” She nodded, thanking him with a crook of her lips. 

“It’s in the past.” She rolled her shoulders and sat up straighter. “It is almost scientifically  _ impossible  _ for me to exist in every universe as each Tony Stark is either a male human, a zombie, or an animal. The CIA agents that went into the other universes  _ existed  _ there.” She gently pulled her hands away from Peter’s arm and turned in her seat, grabbing a black duffle bag from off of the floor. “I worked on a device of my own that would get me from universe to universe, along with a device that would keep a person existing in that universe, there. So if the CIA agents had my device, they could stay in that universe for years without having to return here.” She held out two bulky watches that reminded Peter of the  _ “Ben 10” _ children’s show he used to watch in middle school. “With these, we can travel through the multiple dimensions and do whatever we want!”

“We?” 

Both of them were silent, and Peter could see Jade was a bit off-kilter. She was hesitating on saying something, but from what she had told him, she wouldn’t lie if he asked to know the truth. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly with thought, a frown tugging at his lips.

“What...aren’t you telling me?” She tensed, unable to look him in the eye. “What happened in your universe?” A flash of relief at finally being able to speak a full sentence appeared for only a second before it was dashed away. 

“After my world’s Avengers split up, none of them came to visit my mother or me. Uncle Rhodes was only around for a couple years before he died in a car accident, and Aunt Pepper moved out of the Tower to live with her fancy doctor husband.” Jade sounded bitter, but there was a sense of nostalgic grief and slight resentment that slipped into her voice. She kept her eyes averted from him, but she wasn’t sure why. “Bruce didn’t bother to send Christmas or Birthday Cards -- which sucked, because at one point, I considered him the closest thing to a father -- and  _ Captain America _ was too busy running around with the Romanoff, Barnes, and Wilson. Everyone else that we could have possibly had either died, retired, or just didn’t bother to contact us. It was just mom, Uncle Peter, Aunt MJ, and me.” Her voice became weak and she breathed out a shaky breath, breathing in a sniffle. “And then Rogers decided to go back in time to be with his  _ ex-girlfriend _ . He brought Romanoff and Barnes for emotional support while Wilson talked to Aunt MJ, who was caring for me as the adoption paperwork went through. Uncle Peter wasn’t there as Uncle Happy had just died.” A stab hit Peter’s heart as his brain brought images of a world without Happy Hogan in it. “Rogers took me to the side with his two  _ besties _ , and asked me how I had been. 

“I remember looking at all three of them and feeling this  _ burning hatred _ .” She sniffled again, wiping her face and looking up at the ceiling as if trying to will the tears to go back into her body. “I told Rogers that I hoped he never had children with Peggy -- not because it would make me jealous, but because those children would be subjected to a terrible father, and it was not something I would wish on anyone. He was so taken aback -- he thought I  _ liked  _ him; respected him.” She shook her head, looking back at him. “Barnes went with him. Being so far out of time was weird for him. But it worked out, in the end.

“When they went back, they began changing things. Usually, that would have meant they created an alternate dimension, but this time, it didn’t. They began crime-fighting early on, gathering their young Avenger friends and repeating the process all over. The Avengers never really ‘talked it out’ after the Accords issue, so their new little group was  _ without  _ my mother. They even convinced my grandfather, Howard, to give her up for adoption. The world they created is now  _ mostly  _ crime-free, and the Stark family no longer carry the weight they used to.” She gave Peter another bitter smile. “Once I figured out what the CIA were doing, I made my devices and traveled to a closer dimension. It worked, and when I tried to go back, the world I knew was gone, and Rogers’ new world replaced it. The Avengers created rumors that ruined my grandfather after he handed the company over to Rogers. And my mother...well, when I saw her, she was a waitress at a diner with a dead look in her eye. You weren’t Spider-Man, there, and because they changed so many things, you were living with your parents when all three of you died in a car crash. You were eight, at the time.

“I was completely alone.” A tear dropped down Peter’s face, running over the bandage covering half of it. She leaned a bit forward, gripping his arm. “But then, I remembered you were alive and well in  _ this  _ universe, and I realized that I wouldn’t have to be alone, anymore.” She grabbed one of the bulky watches and held it up so that he could look at it better. “This world is  _ just  _ as bad as the one I came from, but the other worlds/realms/dimensions? They’re  _ different _ ; something new and exciting! You and I, we can travel and explore the dimensions without fear of bad guys trying to kill us, and do  _ whatever  _ we want for however  _ long  _ we want.  _ After  _ we take down the part of the CIA that hurt you and destroy every tiny bit of information they have about multiverses and their little doohickey that transports them, of course.” She was smiling at him, now; a desperate smile that showed she was begging for him to come with her.

But Peter was unsure. He loved being Spider-Man, but was that an option anymore? With his injuries? And what about MJ and Ned? Happy and Fury? Aunt May and Mr. Stark? The people he knew here could forget about him, or think he died. Peter pursed his lips. While it would be cool to travel the different dimensions, seeing what the worlds have to offer, he didn’t want to do it for a long time. And to be honest, he didn’t want to do it anytime soon. 

“You don’t want to go...do you?” He looked up at Jade. She had a small frown on her face. Peter had been quiet for a long time, thinking over what Jade had offered, and she had known him long enough to figure out what he was thinking. It didn’t take a genius; just genius observation skills. Peter shook his head slowly, and she visibly wilted. “Okay.”

“Well then,” a voice interrupted, making both teenagers jump in their seats, “it seems I chose the right time to... _ interrupt _ .” Peter snapped his head to the door where the voice originated and gaped with awe at the woman standing there. 

The woman was taller than Pepper Potts, and had golden blonde hair that was curly up top but straight in the back. It flowed over her shoulders like silky waves, and when she took a small step forward, it glinted in the light. She wore a green velvet dress that glided along the hospital floor, but while it was overly fancy for a place like this, the design reminded him of old-timey Princess dresses from the live-action Disney movies. She looked no older than thirty-five, but held an aura of wisdom that suggested she was closer to a grandmother’s age. On top of that, this woman had to be the most gorgeous woman Peter had ever seen.

**“Who are** **_you_ ** **?”**

Peter snapped his head back to Jade, eyes widening with shocked surprise. Instead of the friendly, curly-rainbow-haired girl, a girl with straight charcoal hair dressed in tight-skin, black tactical clothes stood in her place. Her makeup was still exaggerated, but now it consisted of black eyeliner covering her eyelids, grey eyeshadow dusted next to her hair-line and on her cheeks in some sort of vampire/dark queen contouring, and black lipstick that was smudged around her mouth -- like she had been rubbing her lips to remove it, but it wouldn’t wash away. Her eyes were a glowing gold -- reminding Peter of video footage from Pepper’s Extremis incident -- and her black lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing off her pearly white teeth that seemed almost animalistic. The pink gem that had once been around her neck was now a silver chain with a black obsidian pendant. Her voice was deeper than before and, when he analyzed her stance, she seemed ready to start a fight in order to get the unknown woman away from him.

**“You touch him, I’ll kill you,”** Jade continued when the woman didn’t answer, simply appraising the young girl with approving eyes. The woman’s own lips pulled back in a gentle smile, showing off her own pearly white teeth while simultaneously showing the lack of respect -- for this woman was too regal and ethereal to not be respected in  _ some  _ way -- didn’t bother her. 

“There is no need to fight, young Jade,” she began calmly, asserting herself completely into the room and shutting the door behind her with a wave of a hand. Jade let out a growl and tensed, slightly leaning over Peter’s bed while her eyes moved around the room to search for an escape. “I assure you, I have come only with kind intentions. I find myself in need of your assistance.” She didn’t need to say much for Peter to feel a strong urge to bend over backwards for this woman, but he pushed the foreign feeling away and looked to Jade. She was assessing the woman with narrowed eyes, wearing an untrusting scowl.

“Who are you?” Her voice was calmer, now, and there was no bite in her tone. The woman  _ almost  _ sagged with relief, but ended up keeping her rim-rod stance and gentle smile.

“My name is Frigga, Queen of Asgard, Goddess of Marriage, Magical Foresight, and Wisdom. Others call me the All-Mother, but Frigga will be just fine for the both of you.” She waved her hand and a small golden sphere appeared in her hands. At first, Peter thought it was a globe, but it was clear and was filled with smoke --  _ a crystal ball? _ An image of the hospital room appeared in the crystal ball, showing all three of them in startling clarity before it changed to other rooms with people Peter didn’t recognize --  _ wait a minute, that’s Ned and MJ!  _ He gasped, opening his mouth and raising his broken right hand to point towards the swirling images, when Frigga turned to him with a small smile. “Yes, these are your friends, young Peter. What I am asking of the both of you includes them, but of course, it is up to the both of you to decide.”

The room was silent, Peter turning to look at Jade for direction while Jade furrowed her eyebrows in contemplative thought. Slowly, her hair began turning back to its rainbow colors, starting from her scalp and moving to her hair ends, and then the black makeup covering her face bloomed with color -- the black becoming a new mix of light pinks, blues, and purples. The last thing were her clothes  _ (starting at her neck and moving downwards) _ , strands of multicolored fabric twisting and twirling around her body until she was wearing her previous attire. A pair of matching blue heels he hadn’t noticed before appeared last on her feet, and she was still staring contemplatively at the Goddess when he looked back up at her.

“And what is this... _ proposition _ ?” Jade asked calmly, her voice much lighter in tone compared to previously. It made Peter relax immediately as he looked between the two. The Goddess moved a bit closer, slowly lowering her body into a stiff hospital chair. It didn’t bother her, and she lifted a leg up and over the other in a comfortable fashion.

“As you said a bit earlier, the mortal group that has been travelling into different dimensions  _ has  _ disrupted the balance of many of them. In turn, causing irrevocable wars, famines, and destruction within those worlds.” The crystal ball grew two inches bigger, and filled with picturesque images of men in black tactical suits taking items, and wars raging in response. One image of an ominously black and red Earth sent shivers of fear down Peter’s spine. Frigga’s lips turned slightly into a frown, and Peter felt the urge to do anything he could to make it disappear. “Unfortunately, the damage is already done in a few of the dimensions, even if I granted you the capability to go back through time -- which I am inclined to do so in hopes of removing the impending damage of the others.” Jade glanced over at Peter, noticing how enraptured he was with Frigga. She almost laughed -- typical teenage male -- but forced it away, looking back at the ethereal Goddess that was looking between the two with a knowing yet understanding look. “I am hoping that, once the meddling mortals and traveling devices in this realm are... _ removed  _ per your original plan, the dimensions will be easier to fix.

“However, I have looked through multiple future outcomes of the worlds and,” she clasped her hands together on her lap, her lips twisting into another frown, “in some cases, removing a certain  _ person  _ or  _ group  _ from that realm is the best course of action. It will cause a chain of actions that will cancel out those created by the mortal men.” Jade’s expression grew dark, though she did not revert to black. Peter felt a frown come upon his face, as well.

“Remove,” he forced out hesitantly, “as in... _ kill _ ?” Frigga had pursed lips, her eyes thoughtful. Finally, she shook her head in denial, Peter visibly sagging in relief. Jade reached out, patting Peter’s arm and sharing a small smile with him before turning back to the Goddess.

“If it would be more efficient in killing the person, then I will not stand in the way. But you may find that you do not wish to kill them upon meeting them.” Peter looked back at Frigga, raising his eyebrows in confusion. She did not elaborate. “Which brings me to the future of this universe.” She looked firmly at Jade. “Do you remember the last great fight your universe’s Avengers faced?” Jade was immediately stiff, black bleeding into her hair but not making it past her neck. Peter frowned, putting his right arm over the hand that she still had placed on his left. 

“What happened?” Peter asked, frowning. She looked at him immediately, the darkness going back into her skull without a trace. However, a dark blue took its place. Her hair turned to a dark royal blue, her makeup was exaggerated with blues, and her outfit azurely baggy. Sadness from the  _ Inside Out  _ movie popped into his mind when they connected eyes -- her own were filled with great sorrow, filling with tears. “What’s wrong? What...fight?” He coughed.

“The war over the Infinity Stones created by a Celestial’s suicide,” Jade muttered, stepping back and falling into her chair in a depressed heap. Peter didn’t know what she was talking about, but with one quick glance at Frigga, he had a feeling she was speaking the truth. “There are a set of stones -- seven, to be exact, though the seventh was lost long ago -- that controls reality. It is unsure why the Goddess of Revenge, Nemesis, killed herself, but she did, and the impact of it created this universe; the Prime Universe. Her soul was split into seven stones -- Mind, Space, Soul, Reality, Time and Power being the main six, and Ego being the lost one -- and those gems were spread out among the multiverse.” Jade shifted in her seat, looking around the room every couple of words, as though panicked that someone would rush in. “There is an alien born from a small planet named  _ Titan _ . Titan was a prosperous planet, at first, but the beings that resided there were god-like. They were strong,  _ humongous  _ beings that were resilient and prosperous.” She paused again, biting at her lip. “But they had long life spans. Due to their size, life-span, and size of their planet, they became overpopulated. Food was at an all-time low, and the planet itself was dying. One Titan suggested they kill off half of the population of the planet at random so at least one half would survive. His people thought it was too drastic and cruel, so they exiled him. They called him the Mad Titan Thanos. 

“Years later, the planet died and the beings that lived on it died off. He was angry and sad, so he devised a plan. He would gather all of the Infinity Stones and kill off half of the universe to restore his planet to the glory it used to be.” Jade licked her lips, rubbing her hands together in a worrying fashion. “He only found six, but it was enough. The Avengers rejoined and went to fight him on his planet. It was a war -- the Infinity War -- and it lasted for a mortal year. Time passed differently on the other planet. Four people died that day -- Gamora (a Guardian of the Galaxy), Prince Loki of Asgard-,” Peter noticed how Frigga flinched, “-the Scarlet Witch (who took the Black Widow’s place), and Antonia Stark. She took the brunt of the damage. She died on that planet; no one bothered to bring her body back.” Peter tensed, eyes widening as a single tear rolled down her face. “I never got to say goodbye.” 

“I’m sorry, Jade,” Peter whispered to her, feeling tears of his own well up in his eyes. 

He couldn't imagine a world without Tony Stark. At times, he felt like the only father figure Peter had. Images flashed through his head: Mr. Stark asking him to help during the Civil War, Happy driving the both of them around while Mr. Stark rambled, and the time when Mr. Stark asked him to join the Avengers full-time, but Peter turned him down. Sure, there were bumps in the road, and they had barely talked since Peter had turned him down, but Mr. Stark was always there for him when he needed it.  _ Well, almost. _ He turned to Frigga, determined.

“We can fix it this time, right?” Frigga looked at him, a nostalgic look appearing in her eyes as she took in the determination shining in his eyes. He reminded her of Thor. “If we do what you want, we can change the outcome of the war.” Frigga looked unsure, so Peter pushed. “Those are our terms.” She raised an eyebrow and Jade’s hand on his arm tightened. 

“Peter, what are you  _ saying _ ? We just  _ met  _ the lady,” Jade whispered, confused and slightly scolding. Her form was rippling, clothes and hair turning a worried yellow  _ (how he knew that, he didn’t know) _ , but he didn’t look at her, keeping his eyes firmly connected with Frigga’s. “Don’t dig a hole and bury us in it.” The Goddess was looking at him with scrutinizing eyes, thinking it over while waiting for him to finish.

“You said people have to be removed from some worlds.” He licked his dry lips, tasting the dry gauze stuck to his face as he made up a plan on the spot. “If they’re good people, we’ll take them out of those worlds and bring them here; if they’re not, we’ll dispose of them how we see fit. Their dimensions will change to the way you want them, and we’ll form a team here -- an Avengers 2.0 that will take care of the world until the original Avengers come back. But in return, we want the guarantee that you will allow us to change the outcome of this world’s Infinity War.” Frigga raised an eyebrow, silently running over his words in her mind.

“And what of the mortals here? Will you destroy their device, wipe their... _ computers _ , and ensure that they remember nothing about traveling to other worlds?” Peter nodded once, firm.

“I will need help, but yes.” She looked at Jade, waiting for the young girl’s own response. Peter turned to Jade. Still dressed in the worried yellow, her eyes were only on Peter. She seemed to be searching his eyes -- as though trying to figure out what he was thinking. 

“Are you  _ sure _ ?” She questioned through pursed lips. Peter nodded. Jade took a deep breath and turned to the waiting Goddess. “Wherever Peter goes, I will follow.” 

“ _ Wonderful _ !” Frigga bloomed with a smile, snapping her fingers. A golden smoke filled the corner of the hospital room, thick like morning fog near a body of water and resonating a kind of energy Peter and Jade had never felt before. There was a yelp and a couple curses, coughing erupting from someone.

“What the hell?” A female voice muttered, annoyed. “Ned, what the hell did you do?” 

“I didn’t do anything!” A boy responded defensively. “You’re the one that wanted to find Peter in a  _ cave _ .” Peter sat up, yelping in pain but excitement filling him.

“Ned?” He called out a bit loudly. The bickering stopped and two people stepped out from the smoke, wide-eyed and confused. Peter tried to scramble out of his hospital bed, but Jade held him back. “Ned! MJ! It’s me, Peter.” Both were quiet, running their eyes over Peter’s body -- the four casts, bruised and cut up arms, bruised and gauze-wrapped face -- and then over the other two people in the room. Ned was stuck looking at Frigga with awe for a moment before MJ hit him in the ribs, moving forward.

“So you really were kidnapped,” MJ muttered, stumbling forward to the bed. Jade moved out of the way, watching with a small smile as MJ wrapped her arms around Peter, pulling him gently into her with an audible sigh of relief. “I thought...I  _ knew  _ something was wrong. When Ned said your Aunt said you were dropping out of school to go camping, I...I  _ knew  _ something was wrong.” Her voice became thick with tears, and she tried not to squeeze him. Peter sniffled, hugging her as tightly as he could.

“You’ll never believe what happened.” MJ sniffled and stepped back, punching him lightly in the shoulder. Ned rushed forward, taking her place in order to hug the hurt boy, already blubbering about how much he missed Peter and how happy he was to see him.

“You better tell us what the fuck happened to you!” She scolded, wiping at her face angrily. She turned to Frigga, eyeing the woman. “Did you bring us here?” Frigga nodded.

“Yes, I did.” She stepped forward, through the golden smoke that was still there, and held out her hand to the caramel-skinned girl. “My name is Frigga, Queen of Asgard, Goddess of Wisdom, Magical Foresight, and Marriage. Do you prefer MJ or Michelle Jones?” MJ was wide-eyed and hesitant as she shook Frigga’s hand. 

Ned pulled back with a gasp, sniffling and wiping his face, following MJ’s lead and introducing himself. He mostly stuttered when talking to the Goddess, asking her what being one was like and if she knew Thor because he really wanted to meet him, but Frigga didn’t seem to mind, grinning at the boy and telling him she birthed Thor almost sixteen hundred years prior. Ned squealed and gave an exaggerated bow, thanking her for birthing “one of the coolest Avengers.” She laughed jovially and turned to MJ after a moment, raising a brow.

“MJ is fine.” Frigga nodded, giving the girl a motherly smile that made her slightly uncomfortable. Her own mother never smiled at her like that, and her father was a deadbeat -- didn’t bother to show up for her birth or anything after.  _ At least I know his name _ , she thought bitterly. She turned to Jade, eyeing the girl up and down. “Yellow your thing?” 

Jade, still dressed in yellow due to her worried episode, blushed a bright pink and both teens watched with shock as pink and blues overlapped to form her original outfit -- the white and blue dress with rainbow hair. She turned slightly, wringing her hands in front of her with a sheepish look. The blush was still prominent on her cheeks, and Peter grinned in amusement.

“No. Mostly this,” Jade said politely, holding out a shaking hand. She really wanted this MJ to like her, considering she was her aunt in her previous world. “I’m Jade. Jade Maria Stark-Rogers.” MJ smirked, shaking her hand as Ned gasped dramatically. 

“Are you related to Tony Stark?” Ned asked, stepping forward and vigorously shaking the young girl’s hand. Jade blushed and shrugged.

“Kind of. It’s a long story.” Ned and MJ both looked curious, but they didn’t have the chance to push it as Frigga stepped in.

“Before we begin on that long tale,” Frigga began, looking between the two new teens with appraising eyes, “I must tell you what has recently happened with young Peter and Jade, and then ask you both a very important question at the end.” Ned nodded vigorously in his excitement while MJ just nodded once, still uncomfortable. “Forty-seven Earth days ago, young Peter was kidnapped on his way home from school by a rogue CIA agent by the name of Amos Rivera. He was unconscious for two days before he awoke, and unfortunately, young Peter was tortured for information about Anthony Stark and the Avengers as a whole.” Peter flinched and Ned gasped, eyes widening in shock and tears. MJ had become pale, moving to sit down in the chair Jade had formerly sat in. Frigga nodded, face impassive. “The both of you worked hard to find him, and for that, you are very smart and brave. You found the correct cave, and you were-,” she hesitated, looking at Peter with a regretful look, “-very close to finding May Parker’s body.” Peter coughed, choking on his saliva. Jade gasped, another flurry of fabric starting.

“What?” A now blue-oriented Jade asked shakily, MJ putting her hands to her mouth and looking at Peter while Ned fell to his knees in shock, face growing a figurative green-ish hue. “But I...I went through the rooms and didn’t see her! I only...I only saw  _ Peter _ !” Jade put a hand to her stomach, tears filling her eyes. “Was she  _ killed  _ after I took Peter?” Peter was crying silently, tears rolling down his face.

“No. Amos Rivera-,” Peter didn’t flinch this time, “-went to Peter’s house first, early in the morning. May arrived home, and he pushed his way in. When he went to move her to the cave system Peter was in, she fought back. He pushed her and she fell down. He assumed she was knocked out and took her to the caves, only to realize she was dead when they arrived. He left her body under a mortal tarp in one of the rooms.” Frigga moved forward, placing a hand on Peter’s cheek. He was sobbing, now, the strangled sounds leaving his throat. “You didn’t see it, Jade, because you were too busy looking for Peter. You couldn’t see anything other than him, and that’s okay.” Jade was frowning, blinking softly as tears fell from her eyes.

A golden glow appeared from her hand, and it was pushed into Peter’s body. Slowly, he was able to calm himself, feeling the hole that was now in his heart begin to stitch back up. He looked up at the woman, feeling his immeasurable grief flow from him and into her, her eyes changing color as they swirled with his stolen sorrow. A dull ache came from his legs and wrists, making him turn his head slightly and watch as the casts were cut and removed magically from his body. His bones, muscles, and skin mended artfully, and he could soon feel everything he couldn’t while at the cave. Next thing he knows, his muscles are growing, and the hospital gown he was dressed in suddenly became smaller. The gauze on his face was the last thing to be removed, and his closest friends gasped, Ned lurching to the trashcan and losing his lunch. MJ looked ready to follow, and Jade was shifting between the worried yellow and sad blue. 

“My son and I both know your pain, Peter.” Frigga removed her hand, running it through his hair in an effort to comfort him. He sighed, leaning into her hand as his muscles tingled. “I taught my son, Loki, everything I knew about magic. In turn, he used it for good. But once he found out he wasn’t my son, biologically, he was upset. The Mad Titan corrupted him, and in the end, he died.” She frowned. “At first, I thought it was real, but then he appeared to me, alive. I was overwhelmed with happiness and joy, until he was  _ imprisoned  _ by my husband. Soon after, the Dark Elves came into the palace. I had seen the future of this realm and faked my death in order to fix the wrongs that will happen. No one other than the four of you know that I am alive.” She stopped caressing Peter’s head, making him look up at her with bleary eyes. “I am so sorry for your loss, Peter. May Parker needed to pass for Jade to realize she needed to save you. She is happy, now; at peace with your namesake in the afterlife.” Peter nodded, sniffling. 

Frigga stepped back and walked over to Ned, creating a cold handkerchief and patting his face. Ned stood still, letting the motherly woman do so, and hugged her back when she wrapped him in a hug. She moved onto MJ and then Jade, hugging both girls and whispering words of encouragement in their ears. Jade was the most distraught. She never wanted any harm to come to Peter -- physically, mentally and  _ (most of all) _ emotionally. 

“Now, I must ask you a question, Ned and MJ.” The two turned to her, eyes puffy and red. “The man that hurt Peter is still out there, and the agency he belongs to is harming other worlds just like this one. The three of us have come to an agreement. Are you willing to step up and help your friend; stand by him for the rest of your days?”

“Of course!” Ned exclaimed almost incredulously. He sniffled, grabbing onto Peter’s free hand and looking Peter in the eyes. “I told you I got you, man. We’ve been friends since second grade. Of course I’m going to stand by you.” Frigga smiled and turned to MJ.

“Yeah, okay, whatever.” Peter and Ned smiled at MJ’s typical response, the girl already standing in front of Frigga. “How do we do it?”

“I’m going to tap into your soul.” MJ blinked, but didn’t have time to change her mind.

The Goddess smiled and put a hand on the girl’s head, the golden glow appearing once again. A second passed and, suddenly, MJ’s entire body was glowing. Her eyes were closed, and a small smirk was growing on her lips. Peter and Ned watched with fascination as her 5’5’’ frame grew in height. The sleeves of her baggy, long-sleeved shirt became tight as her muscles grew, and the knees of her tight jeans ripped as her leg muscles followed suit. When the glow was gone, she was blinking in awe at the woman and looking around the room in a new light.

“What?” Ned stuttered, eyes wide and mouth gaping. MJ turned around, and both boys gaped at her. It was as though she had an entire glow-up -- any blemishes  _ (not that they noticed the pimples or pointed a terribly red zit out amongst themselves)  _ she had were gone, her teeth were whiter and straighter, and her hair was longer and shinier. “What did you-?” He cut himself off and turned to Frigga, moving to her quickly. “Me next, me next!” MJ stepped back and Peter chuckled, grinning at both of his friends with a fond love. Frigga shared an amused look with Jade, the girl having reverted to her rainbow hair. 

Frigga placed a hand on Ned’s forehead, the boy fidgeting in excitement. Soon enough, he had the same golden glow. While Ned slimmed down slightly due to growing in height  _ (5’3” changing to 5’8’’) _ , he was still husky compared to skin-and-bones Peter. When the glow was removed, he was grinning and walking over to the wall mirror to look at his face.

“I’m taller and hotter!” Everyone laughed at the boy’s squealing, Ned flipping around with a happy grin. “Peter, this is amazing!” 

He began jumping in his spot, too excited to stop his ramblings, when another Ned appeared beside him. Peter gasped, jumping shakily out of the bed as the Original Ned turned to look at the copy. He gasped dramatically and slapped a hand to his mouth, screaming in it. Second Ned didn’t have the same sense, looking at the Original Ned with surprise and letting out a shocked yell. Peter rushed, slapping a hand over the clone’s mouth. When he was done breathing heavy, Peter removed his hand from the clone’s mouth, looking between the two with shocked eyes. Both looked at each other and whispered a low, “ _ Wicked _ .”

Jade was the only one who was peeling with giggling laughter. 

“What did you do to us?” MJ asked calmly, still in awe over how she was taller and fitter. Frigga was smiling, moving a piece of hair away from her face.

“I tapped into your souls to find your biggest wish.” MJ and both Neds looked at Frigga blankly, eyebrows furrowing and heads cocking. Jade and Peter watched on, listening intently. “MJ’s biggest wish was to be able to protect herself and her friends from harm. It’s relatively new; developed a couple weeks ago when she realized Peter could really be kidnapped. Now she can, through complex muscle memory.” Frigga motioned to the two Neds. “Ned’s biggest wish was for friends; people that could help him in his time of need. That’s always been his wish, but it had grown bigger when he realized Peter could be in danger. Now, he’s able to split into multiple Neds.” The room was silent, and Frigga let out a tinkling laugh. “Think of it like one of your mortal trinkets -- the  _ computers _ . I downloaded new software into your body. Now, you are able to use them.”

“Oh,” the three computer geeks drawled out, looking at each other with understanding. MJ was still confused, looking down at her hands. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let her body flow into a quick movement. Next thing she knows, she’s carrying the chair upside down with a single finger. “Whoa!” Jade and Frigga chuckled, grinning at the excitement lacing the voices and faces of the other teens.

“And what did you do to me?” Peter asked, voice strong and firm. His throat didn’t hurt anymore, and he felt as though his body had just inhaled multiple shots of espresso. He was taller, as well, but was the same height as MJ, and he had grown... _ wider _ \-- with muscle. 

“I healed your heart.” Frigga gave a regal shrug, looking unperturbed by his confusion. “It is the equivalent to that other Avenger -- what’s his name? Ah, _ Captain America.”  _ Jade audibly growled, unimpressed. Frigga didn’t pay it any mind, though the two Neds and MJ glanced curiously at the girl. “The serum he was given long ago had sister ingredients on Asgard. I modified them, so they modified you. MJ and yourself are more ‘Super Soldier’ like, Ned can multiply himself however much he wants, and Jade-,” she paused, causing everyone to look at the rainbow girl that cocked her head, “-well, Jade paints.”

Suddenly, voices of doctors were heard down the hall, footsteps sounding. Peter and the two Neds began to panic, curses leaving Peter’s mouth. MJ started to move as if she were waiting for battle, and Jade took in a deep, bated breath. Frigga just smiled, shaking her head.

“That is my  _ cue _ , as you mortals say.” Frigga moved off to the side, nodding. “Peter and Jade will be able to explain everything to you, and once you are ready,  _ begin the hunt _ .”

She was gone in a flash of golden light, but the gold smoke remained. It filled the room, making the four teens --  _ five, if you count Ned #2  _ \-- cough noisily. Jade and Peter felt a sharp tug on their insides -- somewhere below their ribs and between their lungs -- before it suddenly stopped and the smoke dissipated. When they could finally see where they were, Jade and Peter almost gasped -- they were sitting in a black SUV right outside of the hospital! The two Neds gasped in amazement, but MJ was already over it. As she was in the driver’s seat, she peeled out of the parking lot, Peter sitting directly beside her in the passenger seat. The two Neds squealed when MJ took sharp turns, always squishing the smaller girl that sat between them, but Jade didn’t mind as laughter poured from her lips.

“Where do we go?” MJ asked, glancing over at Peter. He frowned.

“Why are you asking me?” MJ raised an eyebrow at him, rolling her eyes. 

“Because the pretty Goddess said she gave you a serum similar to  _ Captain America’s _ ,” one of the two Neds supplied, grinning on Jade’s left. The other Ned continued, “And he’s the leader of the Avengers, so that makes you the leader of us. Plus, you’ve been a hero longer than MJ and I.” Peter turned in his seat, looking between the two Neds incredulously, as if he couldn’t believe what they were saying.

“ _ Me _ ? I don’t think I’m a leading type, Ned --  _ Neds _ ,” Peter replied, turning back to the front and holding onto the handle in the ceiling. “I got  _ kidnapped  _ on my way  _ home from school _ , and couldn’t exactly save myself.  _ Jade  _ should be the leader.” 

“ _ Whee _ !” Jade squealed as MJ took a sharp turn, not paying any attention to what they were talking about as joyful laughter fell from her lips. Peter looked back at the younger girl as MJ glanced through the rearview mirror. 

“You’re the leader, loser. Where do we go?” He sighed.

“There’s an empty warehouse on the corner across from the Deli. We’ll bunker there until we can plan out our course of action.”


	3. The Sun All Planets Revolve Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blatherskite:   
>  (n.) a person who talks at great length without making much sense

**Chapter Three: The Sun All Planets Revolve Around**

It took six hours for Peter to call Happy.

Five minutes to realize Happy had no idea Peter had gone missing.

Two minutes to decide he wouldn’t tell the man what happened.

A minute to say he wouldn’t be able to work at S.I. anymore, per the plan.

And thirty seconds to hang up. In that order.

The two Neds -- who slowly became three, and then four, then five  _ (and so on) _ due to Ned being unable to figure out how to get rid of the others -- worked together to scramble Peter’s location so FRIDAY couldn’t track him. Next was Peter’s suit, which Jade quickly cut into pieces and remade without the usage of  _ (technically) _ her father’s tracking devices. The tracking device was still active -- Ned was positive that if it was turned off, Stark would know and would come looking for Peter -- so Ned rerouted the cell towers and locations the device pinged off of.

_ (Apparently, when Frigga had granted them powers, she also granted Ned the ability to  _ **_“become”_ ** _ the computer. Hacking, coding, programming, searching -- everything Ned ever tried to do on the computer growing up was now easy and could be done by placing a hand on the server. MJ called it  _ **_Electronic Manipulation_ ** _ , Peter called it  _ **_Technopathy_ ** _ , and Jade called it  _ **_“super cool”_ ** _ \-- either way, Ned was thankful and couldn’t get enough of his new abilities.) _

The planning was what they did first; and it took a while.

After Ned and MJ knew everything they needed to know about Jade’s past and the terms Peter and Jade had agreed to with Frigga, they  _ unanimously  _ decided keeping everyone low-profile would be best. The current Avengers had gone rogue and were wanted criminals, and Stark had enough on his plate already. Removing Peter from the equation would make everything easier on the older man, even though Peter  _ really  _ didn’t like it.

Secondly, they decided to clear out Peter’s apartment immediately. Upon arriving at the warehouse, Jade was in charge of revamping the place while the other three gutted Peter’s apartment  _ (with hoods and a black bandana wrapped around Peter’s scarred face) _ . Jade had relayed her powers --  **Art Magic/Manipulation** and  **Mechanical Constructs/Intuition** _ (or as she relayed it, a power she got from Rogers, as she never referred to Rogers as her father unless she had to tell a new friend, and a power she got from her mother) _ \-- along with the stipulations. 

While Jade could create art that could hop off of the page and come to life, she had to both  _ “create it completely” _ \-- meaning she had to draw out blueprints for a certain thing and write specific notes in the margins before she could bring them to life -- and  _ “paint it into existence” _ \-- which meant she needed a paintbrush and a liquid or paste in order to bring her creations to life. In her black leather duffle bag, she carried those items along with her three different drawing pads, sentimental pictures, and many articles of clothing she created herself. One of her drawing pads carried her doodles that were the start of something cool, another carried mechanical blueprints from her other power that she wanted to bring to life, and the last one carried all of her most impressive, well-designed and well thought-out artwork that she was most proud of. Thorough notes were written along the sides, and small symbols were painted on the bottom of every page -- _ “shortcuts,” _ she called them. 

_ “If I need a weapon quickly in battle, I can’t simply  _ **_sit_ ** _ on the ground and spend an  _ **_hour_ ** _ painting it.”  _ She went through a couple pages, showing a gun-like weapon  _ (that reminded Peter vauguely of a cartoon he had watched when he was younger) _ with a small  **“E”** painted on the bottom.  _ “At first, I went through the alphabet, but as I drew or painted more, I ran out of letters so I began using common symbols and then the Greek Alphabet. I am running out of pages, though, so I’ll have to get a new drawing pad, soon -- hopefully one that is slightly bigger, but can still fit in my bag, so I can make them even  _ **_more_ ** _ detailed!”  _ The three teens listened to her ramble, nodding along as though they understood -- MJ probably did, considering she was the artistic one among them.  _ “Sometimes, I put a ‘x2’ if I need multiples of my inventions, but I’ve gone up to fifteen at a time!”  _

Then, Jade went into her other ability, the  **Mechanical Construct/Intuition** . It was simple to explain: she understood how to operate, build or fix, and control any mechanical machine she touched with little to no study about the machine itself, and create any item she has seen or imagined while knowing completely how it functions. In a way, it was similar how Ned could control computers easily -- it was hardwired in her brain to  _ know  _ how to do it. Both of her abilities complemented each other well, and she never found herself in need of something to do.

And so, she stayed behind and set up a functioning, three story warehouse. Placing a hand on the steel wall of the warehouse, she closed her eyes and sent out her power, searching for something to fix. Within the five hours they were gone, Jade easily fixed holes in the walls and floors, started up the plumbing and electricity, and added support to the ceilings. When they returned, she was setting up cameras and motion detector sensors around the main entrances as fifteen cleaning robots roamed around the warehouse -- she had copied the inner schematics of the Iron Maiden suits her mother made, and had used them to create three-feet-tall robots of her own that would clean and cook  _ (she didn’t really know how to cook and always forgot to clean) _ .

When they returned, the warehouse looked brand new. MJ and the two bodies of Ned were moving around, hovering around Jade as she drew and colored pictures of furniture while Peter called Happy. The other three Neds were moving behind three different computers -- something of Jade’s own design -- and rerouted Peter’s location as they called out what type of furniture they wanted. MJ wanted a sleek, black couch with soft white pillows, Ned #1-3 wanted a nice brown couch with no pillows, Ned #4-5 wanted brown armchairs that reclined so they could watch movies, and Jade couldn’t decide. Instead, she drew and colored as many pictures as she could, the couches, pillows, and armchairs forming and placed around the warehouse.

“Happy didn’t know.” Peter’s broken voice made everyone pause, the three Neds that were at the computers stopping their typing  _ (they had already finished the rerouting)  _ and the other four turning to look at the boy. Peter’s face was pale, making the straight-lined, pink scar on the left side of his face pop out, and he was shaking. “Happy...he didn’t know I was kidnapped. He didn’t even think about it; said he  _ wondered  _ why I didn’t call so much but figured it was because I had decathlon practice. I haven’t been to school in over forty days! And Mr. Stark-,” he forced down a gulp, voice breaking and shaking, “-Mr. Stark didn’t even want to talk to me. I told Happy it was a life or death situation, and Happy tried to get a hold of him. He didn’t want to  _ talk  _ to me.” 

Everyone watched as Jade visibly wilted, her clothes and hair turned their sad blue. With a frown, she walked up to Peter and wrapped him a tight hug. The taller boy practically dwarfed her, hugging her tight -- though the Super Soldier strength couldn’t do much to her, considering she was half-Super-Soldier -- as he sobbed into her shoulder. She rubbed his back, telling him everything would be alright. 

“And what did  _ Happy  _ say to that?” MJ asked, voice betraying her anger. Peter sniffled, moving to stand and swiping at his tears.

“He said not to get hurt over it, and that Mr. Stark hasn’t been feeling well lately.” Peter scoffed, gritting his teeth and turning his face away from Jade. “I told him I won’t be coming in anymore.” The room was silent and he felt the need to defend himself. “We need to focus on taking down the CIA division that is disrupting the balance, and then fixing the other worlds before it’s too late. Rivera has definitely noticed I’m gone, by now. We need to scope out the cave system tonight; maybe raid it or torture him for information like he did to me.” They were still silent, but the five Ned(s) were slightly green. 

“We can submit applications to graduate early,” MJ stated, standing firm. “We can start college online when the summer classes start, after we get back.” MJ and Peter connected eyes, sharing a determined lividity that Jade hadn’t seen in what felt like years. “We won’t leave you alone, again, Peter.” Jade smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Whatever you need, Peter,” Jade vowed. “We’re going to take Amos Rivera down and fix everything. I promise you that.” He looked back at her, searching her eyes for any hints of lies. Finding none, he nodded with a determined clench of the jaw.

“Alright. Let’s get to work, then.”

~+~+~+~

MJ, Peter, and Jade took great pleasure in making Amos Rivera squeal like a pig. He told them all of the passwords, locations, and names of the CIA agents disrupting the multiverse within two hours of torture, and Ned heard all of it through their improvised comms  _ (ie, their phones) _ . Ned was sensitive, and while he hated Rivera with a burning passion, he would throw up that same passion if he was there. Instead, his multiples and him set about creating files on each agent that Amos spilled, finding things within the four hours it took for Rivera to spill everything he was told. 

Jade and MJ took immense pleasure in carving Rivera’s body, though Peter hung back. He was still noble -- wanted the man dead but didn’t want to be the one to do it, as selfish as that was -- and simply asked the questions, his webs holding the man tightly into his seat. MJ seemed to enjoy it, as if it filled a sick urge she didn’t realize she had. Jade didn’t have to wonder why she enjoyed it -- he hurt her brother, so he had to pay;  _ simple _ . She was also angry that her mother --  _ father? _ \-- had completely abandoned Peter, and she wondered if this happened in her past timeline, or if it was new because she came into the Prime Universe, thus interrupting it.

_ “Alright, I got everything,” _ Ned told them over the phone.  _ “You can...get rid of him?” _ Jade giggled at Ned’s unsure and slightly shaky voice, and let MJ do the honors. 

They wrapped his body up in the tarp he covered May with, and Peter webbed it shut completely. It looked reminiscent of a cocoon, and they left it in the corner of the caved room. Jade giggled and told them it looked like a giant spider egg clutch. MJ snorted and put her arm around the girl’s shoulder. For some reason, Jade calmed MJ -- it felt like she was a younger sister MJ never got the chance to have. Gently, Peter picked up May’s cold and firm body, burying her under one of the trees outside of the cave. 

“I’m sorry, Aunt May,” Peter whispered, tears rolling down his face once again. “But we got him. We  _ avenged  _ you.” He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Tell Uncle Ben I said hi, along with mom and dad, and grandma and grandpa. I miss you guys.” He did a quick cross over his chest, bowing his head once before standing up and walking back to his friends.

“You good?” MJ asked, a slight frown on her face. He nodded, wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders and pulling them to the car.

“I’m good. Sad, but good.” 

_ “I’m sorry, Peter,” _ Ned said in a sad tone.  _ “May was a good person. This feels shitty to say, but you heard Frigga -- she went fast, and now she’s somewhere  _ **_much_ ** _ better than down here. She was a strong woman, and,” _ he released a shaky breath,  _ “she will be missed.” _ Peter smiled sadly.  _ “Neither of you deserved this. But you are right; we got our revenge.” _

“Thanks, Ned.” 

It was silent. Jade looked up at the two with a smile, her blue-violet eyes glinting.

“Ready to go hunting?”

_ “Definitely,”  _ all three responded. 

It took two weeks of planning and over-night stake-outs around New York before the quatro made a move, taking out the CIA division as a whole when they went out for dinner.

During the two weeks, one of Ned’s doubles went home every night to be with his mother while the original and other three clones stayed at the warehouse with Peter and Jade, helping with the stake-outs or training his abilities. His mom was apparently ecstatic he was applying for early graduation to get a start on college applications. She  _ wasn’t  _ happy he was planning on moving out to live with Peter within the next couple of weeks, but she didn’t fight him too much on it.  _ (Ned decided five of him was enough, so he stopped it there. And all important conversations between mother and son were just that -- between mother and  _ **_original_ ** _ son.)  _

MJ’s mother apparently wasn’t fond of her daughter, so after MJ turned in the applications for early graduation, she moved out and brought all of her things with her. Peter sold his old apartment and sent in a letter of resignation to May’s old work, citing a family member had passed away and the two would be moving to Seattle, Washington to be with the few still alive. He also threw out his phone that had been receiving numerous calls from different, unknown numbers -- a few from Happy, one from Flash, and  _ Unknown  _ being the rest.

Needless to say, the entire warehouse was quaking with tension. Well,  _ except  _ Jade. 

Jade, they had found, was an _oddball --_ in the _best_ ways, of course. While she certainly had the Stark spontaneity, she also had a _“Captain America”_ trait -- not that any of them told her that after she almost spit fire at Ned #4 for suggesting she looked like Rogers, her entire form turning wine red with anger \-- which consisted of wandering off without telling anyone and getting into trouble. _(Peter could call her a “for-real_ ** _Inside Out_** _character in a singular form” in public, now, due to MJ giving her “very impressed” approval. Though all three were unsure why Jade changed forms in the first place_ [they had asked, of course, but she always changed the subject] _, they began to notice that, sometimes, she could be angry but remain rainbow, or scared but remain a worried yellow instead of fearful purple. Ned wanted to push, but MJ denied it.)_

When Peter and MJ awoke three days into staying at the slowly renovated warehouse  _ (done completely by Jade’s powers that were shockingly not running out) _ , to Jade being gone, the two had  _ almost  _ panicked -- all five versions of Ned sure did when they were  _ finally  _ told. But after four hours, Jade appeared at the back of the warehouse, backing up a semi-truck she “ _ borrowed _ ” after buying multiple items of furniture, exercising equipment, and “home decor” from IKEA, Pier One Imports, Target, Walmart, and other desolate furniture stores she had seen along the way. She had bought them new items for each of their rooms -- she knew what they would like by heart, it seemed -- and they barely put everything in place before she was gone again, coming back another four hours later with electronics and grocery bags of food. Within the two week span, the entire warehouse was similar to Stark Tower -- carrying training rooms, personalized bedrooms and bathrooms, great water pressure and thermostat, plumbing and electric with no issues  _ (especially the extra-fast wifi Ned helped secure) _ , and comfortable living spaces and electronics in almost every corner of the building.

No one asked how she afforded it all --  _ maybe she had a debit card or bundle of cash from her old world, or created the items with her powers off-site?  _ \-- but when reports of large amounts of items were “mysteriously stolen” from stores across the state, they didn’t need to wonder who it had been, nor ask.

With the warehouse fully secure and running with five versions of Ned as the A.I. security, they were ready to ambush their targets at the end of the two weeks.

_ “Wonder why they only got thirty-five agents,” _ Ned, codenamed  **_TRACE_ ** , wondered idly into their new comms  _ (developed mutually by Peter and Jade) _ as the other three spread out around the countryside bar and grill. It was relatively empty, save for the two bartenders, two cooks, two waitresses, three civilians, and thirty-five CIA employees -- thirty being the secret agents, and the remaining five being the technicians that created the traveling device. _ “A whole division feels like there should at least be a couple hundred stationed in different parts of America.”  _ Jade was inside the bar, sipping on a non-alcoholic drink. She was scaring the bartenders and waitresses with her goth attire, but the agents and civilians were too wasted.

“CIA is secret-keeping  _ headquarters _ ,” Jade, codenamed  **_ARTISAN_ ** , muttered, glancing down the bar to look at MJ, codenamed  **_CUT THROAT_ ** , who was sitting a table away from the agents to listen in on their conversations. MJ was taking a bite out of a burger, looking as though she were simply a starving teenager.  _ “Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you’ll save. Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave.”  _ She tapped her clawed fingernails against the wood of the bar counter.  _ “If I show you, then I know you won’t tell what I said. ‘Cause two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead.” _ She sang lightly under her breath, turning back to her sweet drink and humming the tune.

_ “Well,  _ **_that_ ** _ was creepy.” _ MJ choked on her soda, trying not to laugh at Ned’s words.  _ “Movement; east end.” _ Jade glanced up, seeing three of the civilians laughing drunkenly as they walked out the door, waving to the waitresses. 

_ “I got eyes on the Division Leader, Lance Ark,” _ Peter, codenamed  **_SPIDER-MAN_ ** , muttered into the comm, walking out of the back with twelve new bottles of beer. He had “gotten a job” the day before. Apparently, the two girls had a thing for scars.  _ “Making contact now.” _

_ “Copy that,  _ **_SPIDER-MAN_ ** _ ,” _ Ned replied before going quiet. MJ watched as Peter dispersed the beer to the agents, all of them completely wasted. 

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Can I get you anything else?” The Division Leader, Lance Ark, was the drunkest of them all.

“Yeah, son, a stupid assassin!” He looked at his employees as they threw their heads back in laughter. They had yet to find out Amos Rivera was dead, or what he had done. 

From what Ned found out, they all hated the assassin, but he was assigned to their division via the CIA Director. He, of course, had no idea what the agents and technicians had figured out. They wanted to gather as much “ _ intel _ ” as they could before they brought it to him. Peter just gave them a confused look, set the rest of the beer down, and went into the kitchen to grab their food while MJ distracted the waitresses. The two girls were fondly talking to the teen about classes they were taking in college before Peter called them into the back for help. Taking out the food to the CIA employees, they distributed it.

“Thanks, boss,” Jade muttered, throwing a twenty-dollar bill on the bar counter. 

The two male bartenders hummed, too busy watching the game to care. Glancing at Peter and MJ with a satisfied smirk, Jade turned on her heel and walked to the front door. Walking out of the bar, she made her way to their SUV situated near a bus stop, far away from the cameras. MJ was quick to follow after her, Peter picking up their dishes and moving to wash them vigorously in the back. Ten minutes later, MJ was in the SUV with Jade, and Peter was receiving a  _ “distressing phone call” _ from his mother about his grandfather passing away. With sympathetic hugs, the waitresses -- one of which being the manager -- told him to take a week off and sent him on his way. Five minutes later, he was in the SUV, and ten minutes after that, they watched with sick satisfaction as the agents fell into their food, one by one.

They could hear the waitresses screaming for a bartender to call an ambulance from their SUV and pulled away from the scene. They passed multiple ambulances on their way back into the city, MJ speeding to the CIA’s lab where they held physical copies of everything. Ned was already wiping their electronics, and by the time they were able to search the whole lab, they had found numerous stolen weapons, notes on those weapons, and a square device sitting in the middle of a room. It was encased in a type of plexiglass rigged with loud alarms, but it didn’t matter. They threw everything important into their duffle bags, the device being last, and rushed out of the building and to their vehicle as red lights flashed and alarms blared. They had been driving for five miles when they had to hide the SUV, moments after Ned told them company was on its way. After the five CIA SUVs were far enough away, MJ continued driving without lights for another three miles, turning them on when they entered the city. 

New York was still bustling with life, even in the middle of the night, and Peter’s new black and dark grey Spider-Man suit glinted in the small amount of light that filtered in through the windows. It was bigger to fit his new physique, and carried new abilities his previous one didn’t have -- like a  _ literal  _ **Instant Kill Mode** with  _ Electric Spider Legs _ popping from his back that could send an inhumane amount of volts through enemies,  **Stealth Mode** that cut off all bodily noises Peter could make from those outside of his suit, stronger webs and black  **Web Wings** so he could glide easier **,** and multiple tiny drones sewed in different places around his suit. Best part of all, it didn’t have Stark’s tracker -- which was pinging off cell towers in Seattle, Washington -- and Jade completely made it on her own.

MJ’s outfit was all black, as well, though hers consisted of a crop-top that stopped a bit below her chest, high waisted cargo pants, and high heeled boots. MJ’s powers consisted of fighting and weapons knowledge. Her muscle memory was strong, and she could take down twenty of Jade’s training robots within the first ten minutes of a fight. Her crop-top was made out an Aesir fabric that was virtually bulletproof  _ (given to Jane as a gift through Frigga, though she did not deliver it herself) _ ; her cargo pants felt weightless but secretly carried an armory of guns, grenades, daggers and knives, ammo, and a nice pair of brass knuckles; and her high-heeled boots could change into roller blades, release long knives under the point of her shoe, and release scythe-like blades from the heel of her boots should she need them. 

Jade’s was simple: her usual black “goth” outfit but now made out of Aesir fabric. Even though her natural state was her rainbow-colored attire, Jade spent more time dressed in black than any other color -- though they noticed the recurring changes were localized around intense training or fighting. She carried a work belt  _ (“like Batman,” Ned #1 insisted) _ that carried an endless supply of paints, graphite pencils and erasers, colored pens and crayons, and a large amount of brushes -- each ranging in size and shape. She also carried around a tight black knapsack she had created. It held all three of her drawing pads  _ (along with a new one) _ , three different types of palettes, and the biggest of her brushes within the side pockets. Jade’s combat boots had shorter heels, were sturdier than MJ’s, and carried splatters of paint.

It was weird for the three teenagers. When they looked at Jade, they could  _ see  _ Tony Stark in her, along with Steve Rogers. Jade had a strong presence, and she easily drew people in without meaning to, before growing awkward and pushing the spotlight onto someone else when it became too much. She had one of three scents that instantly calmed them down. Most of the time, she smelt of paint -- like the nostalgic, acrylic paint they had used in elementary for painting, back when times were simple. Other times, she either smelt of pumpkin and cinnamon -- images of orangey-red Halloween, cringey children movies, and the rushing of trick or treating popping into their heads -- or a mixture of lemongrass and lavender  _ (which made their bodies sag with relief whenever they caught a whiff of her) _ . 

All in all, even though she had come to  _ save  _ Peter -- the leader of their group, the one she looked to for guidance, and the only one who truly had the superhero thing down-flat -- it felt like she was the  _ center of everything _ ; as if she were the sun they revolved around. 

The rolling door into their warehouse had just finished opening when MJ pulled in, the door sliding down behind them without hesitation. Jade hopped out gleefully, her outfit morphing into the joyful rainbow as she swung the bag of items back and forth. 

“Hola, Ned-o-la!” She greeted cheerfully, setting the bag on their main table. Ned #2-3 turned around, smiling from their stations. Ned #1, 4 and 5, were already sitting around the table, tablets sitting and waiting in Jade, MJ, and Peter’s respective spots. 

The big, round table was centered in the room, and was stationed only seven feet away from a longer, rectangular table that housed all five Neds, their respective computers, and brand-new swivelling rolling chairs. The table itself looked rather messy, but it was mostly due to more monitors piled on top of the original five to form a pyramid shape, the seven different keyboards and mouses, and notebooks full of DnD strategies. A few other tables were set up around the room, along with computers and other electronics, for Jade and Peter -- their little workshop. Other than that, the room was the SUV’s temporary garage, a miniature library full of the three teenagers’ books  _ (ranging from scientific papers to classic literature novels) _ , numerous couches and armchairs, boxes of game boards, legos and puzzles sitting in a small bookcase near the simple living room, a couple of TVs, and game stations for relaxation. 

The second floor of the warehouse consisted of a more livable space -- carrying a full kitchen and dining area, and communal locker rooms situated near the numerous bedrooms. Each had their own shower stall and bedroom  _ (Ned only having one, of course) _ , filled and decorated with whatever they pleased. As there were only four of them, many of the rooms on the second floor were uninhabited, so they used them as storage. 

The last floor was their training floor, filled with training dummies and weapons to practice with. They had room for more showers, but they decided against it -- settling on two different bathrooms with just toilets and sinks. The roof was vacant, and a few windows had to be boarded up to keep people unsuspicious, but with the amount of cameras stationed around the warehouse, the group wasn’t too worried about the police coming to see who was holed up here.

“Let’s have a look at the device,” MJ said, grabbing her tablet and typing for only a second. Peter nodded and reached for the bag, opening it up and dumping all of the items out unceremoniously. Jade was silent, watching the items roll around the table. A frown tugged at her lips. While she had known about the CIA taking things from different worlds for a while, she had assumed it was a lower number than what she was currently looking at. All in all, there had to be at least thirty pieces, maybe more, of other-worldly objects that had to be returned -- ranging from a simple hat to a large scythe-like weapon. MJ picked up the main device, holding it close to her and looking at it with scrutinizing eyes. “This is  _ it _ ?” Jade’s frown turned to a grin.

“Yep!” MJ rolled her eyes at Jade’s wide grin. Ned frowned a bit.

“Rather anticlimactic,” he muttered. An almost hysterical giggle fell from Jade.

The device was grey and cube-shaped; the epitome of dull and boring. When MJ pressed the non-descript button on the top ten times in a certain rhythm, however, the sides of the cube opened like a flower. A cerulean blue light shone out of the box, converging to show a simple, holographic keyboard and a small screen. Ned made an interested sound and reached for it, pulling it towards him as he looked over the device in awe. Peter and MJ watched him with hawk-like eyes, but Jade wasn’t bothered -- the device had simply been turned on,  _ not  _ activated.

“So, how do we work it?” Peter asked curiously, moving forward to pick up a familiar, glowing knife. Before Jade took him, she had pulled out both of the knives. Peter wasn’t sure why, and she didn’t really tell him, so it was left at that. The handle was still crusted with his blood, but Rivera had obviously cleaned it as best as he could before secretly returning it.

“We type in where we want to go, and/or what  _ time  _ we want to end up in,” Jade began, Ned pushing it gently towards her, “and then we press,  _ ‘enter.’ _ Simple but effective.” She typed in her former world and the group watched with fascination as ten different images of that world popped up. “For example, these are the most  _ important  _ events that happened in this world, since Rogers went back.” She pointed to the top one, Captain America and Bucky Barnes returning to a crowd of love and cheers. Jade felt her eye twitch, but hid her growing frown of displeasure from the group. “This is the first one: Rogers and Barnes returning to America. Everything before that one instance in time was deemed obsolete, and as they began changing it, more events came important. This is when laws were changed-,” she pointed down the line, explaining them equally until she got to the last, “-and  _ this  _ is what the CIA took.” 

The image showed a ball-cap that looked exactly like the one sitting in the middle of the table. The hat was nothing special in itself -- it was simply a off-black hat with a Captain America symbol on the front. The only problem was, it actually belonged to him. The room was quiet, aside from the two Neds who were busy working on something, as everyone waited for her to continue. Jade clenched her jaw, her hair beginning to turn blue, and then wine red, before settling on black. Peter moved his hand, placing it on her own.

“Who does it belong to?” He asked gently in a soft voice, loud enough for the others to hear. Jade frowned, glaring at the hat as if hoping it would burst into flames from her glare alone.

“Steven Rogers, of course.” It was silent, again -- even the two Neds had stopped their incessant typing to listen in. Jade licked her lips. “From what the device is telling me, he left this on a table in a restaurant. The CIA man took it, went into the bathroom, and disappeared. When Rogers came back to grab it, he stood around a minute too long and was caught in the middle of a robbery. He apprehended the offender, but they were supposed to learn from their ways; become a vigilante and help stop an evil man when it came to it. But he was arrested, and therefore unable to learn the fault in his ways. Their world will fall into an apocalyptic world -- slowly and  _ painfully _ .” 

“Alright. How do we stop it?” MJ asked, leaning forward and licking her lips. 

“Not sure.” Jade shrugged.

The room was silent once again, and everyone was eyeing Jade with looks she could probably figure out if she tried. She knew how it looked -- Rogers betrayed her mother, got her mother killed, left behind a young daughter to travel back to his 1940s girlfriend, and then ruined any chance at happiness her newly-alive mother could have had. Why would she even  _ want  _ to set his world back correctly? But only one thing made it worse.

She actually wanted to set things right. 

Not for Rogers, but for her mother.

The woman who had lost all hope  _ because  _ of him.

“That does not matter.” 

Everyone jumped at the voice, weapons drawing and hearts pounding louder as an alarm began to sound. Jade and Ned had developed their alarm system against every type of power they could think of. Anyone that came close to getting in, whether it be walking through the door or through teleportation, if a new being that was not meant to be there appeared, the system would sound an alarm loud enough to wake anyone from a dead sleep.  _ (It was good the buildings around them were either unoccupied or used during the day, only.)  _ Ned #2 quickly turned it off. 

“Apologies, I did not mean to startle you,” the ever-glowing, ethereal Norse Goddess of Marriage, Frigga, apologized, giving the group a small, sheepish-like smile. MJ waved it off, sighing as she put away her weapons and sat back down. Peter and Jade followed her lead, and Ned put a hand over his racing heart, breathing deeply. Frigga smiled gently, standing ten feet away from them. “After learning of your accomplishment, I hurried over to give all of you my sincere gratitude. Regarding young Jade’s former world, she has time to figure out what she wants to do.” Frigga moved forward, standing at the end of the round table, directly across from Peter  _ (who was sitting at the “head,” Jade on his right, and Ned on his left between him and MJ -- the two other Neds were sitting next to Jade as the remaining two still sat at the monitors) _ .

“What do you mean, your highness?” Ned asked with a straight face, confused. Frigga merely smiled at him, looking over each of them with the same motherly eyes.

“ _ Earth-982 _ is not the one in the most peril, at the moment. In fact, I do believe it would be closer to last.” She waved her hand and the device slid down the table to her. “While there are millions of other worlds that can be explored, only thirty have faced the damage caused by the mortal group you have so-nicely vanquished for me. Others can be... _ pushed _ back for a bit until we undoubtedly need to change them.” Jade grinned, her hair mixing wine red and black for a scary moment. Only Ned and his clones seemed to notice, the others not caring. “I have engendered a timeline of when each universe should be saved.  _ Earth-65 _ is the first place you should go. Here, Gwen Stacy, otherwise known as the Ghost-Spider, is the ‘female version’ of young Peter.” Images popped up, but they focused on an image of a white-suited girl with an iron rod sticking out of her stomach. “She was supposed to be stopped from jumping after a thief, but she wasn’t. She fell to her death.” Peter licked his lips, his face pale and turning slightly green. “To fix this universe, you must return this bag-,” she picked up a normal-looking bag, “-to young Gwen. From there, she will get her bag caught and, therefore, be saved from an untimely, unfortunate death.” 

“Well,” MJ began in a drawl, “that sounds easy.” Frigga let out a breathy laugh, nodding.

“Yes, this one is  _ very  _ easy, young MJ.” Frigga turned to Jade. “Only two of you will need to go, but only you, Jade, are able to not bounce back here within a short time frame. You must create more of your devices that will keep other worldly doubles anchored to other worlds until they wish to return to their own.” With a quick glance around the room, she moved to one of the armchairs. “As each world needs to be fixed correctly, and I am of no use on Asgard considering they all believe me to be dead, I will remain here. Therefore, should you need guidance upon your journeys -- which you undoubtedly will -- I will be here to help. Think of me as your -- what did my son call him?  _ Man of Fury _ ?” At their looks of recognition, Frigga nodded with a rather pleased look, looking around the room in contemplation. Peter and Ned shared a worried glance -- this place was far too... _ mortal _ for an Alien Queen _ (not that they would tell Jade that; it might hurt her feelings) _ . MJ and Jade, however, were unfazed, the latter standing up and clapping her hands.

“Oh, goodie! We’re going to have so much fun together, Lady Frigga!” Jade rushed over, sitting across from the Queen in another armchair, the other three teens moving from their seats to find something to do. “Have you ever tried  _ ramen  _ before? It’s a soup-like cuisine from Japan -- a mortal country that is actually really beautiful. They put noodles, meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs in it, and I’ve heard it’s  _ super  _ yummy. I’m not a good cook, but Neddie has been teaching me, and we saw this cookbook with recipes for it at the store the other day. I wanted to-,” Jade unexpectedly paused in her rambling, turning to Peter and MJ, who paused in their walk to look at her with furrowed eyebrows. She looked a bit dazed, but blinked and smiled nonetheless. “Let’s leave, soon, yes?” Peter and MJ looked at each other, confused, but nodded. Jade smiled and turned back to Frigga, continuing as though she had never paused, “-to try a pork and egg ramen out tonight. Would you like to help us make it once we return?” Frigga was smiling indulgently -- she appeared to be caught in Jade’s orbit, as well -- and nodded.

“I would be delighted, young Jade.” Jade nodded firmly to herself with a smile stuck between satisfaction and smugness. 

“Good.”

Three hours later, a small group of three appeared in an alleyway, sounds of shouting and arguing coming from the cafe beside them. Jade’s handle on the backpack’s arm strap tightened as she walked forward, watching a thug dressed in all black rush pass the entrance to the alley. Jade was about to step forward to stop him -- nearly forgetting why they were there in the first place -- when a petite, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl rushed past her on the sidewalk. 

_ That’s her,  _ a small voice that sounded eerily similar to Frigga whispered through her mind. Jade didn’t need to be told twice, rushing towards the girl. The young girl --  _ Gwen _ , stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, huffing with annoyance as she realized she lost the thug when she got caught between a group of office-workers. Jade took the time to rush up to her, tapping her shoulder and acting breathless.

“Uh, miss? I believe you left this behind at the cafe.” 

“Oh. Thank you so much!” 

“No problem, have a good day!”

“Thanks, you too!”

Jade stood there with a smug smile, nodding to herself as she watched Gwen Stacy run away. She looked surprised that Jade had her bag, patting her shoulders as though expecting the bag’s straps to be there, but didn’t comment on it -- stuck on wanting to trail after the thief that stole a man’s wallet. Soon enough, the girl was turning into a back alley and out of her sight. Annoyed New Yorkers rushed past her, a few nudging her harshly with their shoulders and grunting in pain when she didn’t move a centimeter. 

“Watch where you’re going,  _ bitch _ ,” one middle-aged man snarled in pain under his breath, turning to glare at the person who was short but strong enough to hurt his shoulder. He stopped glaring at her in startled awe. Jade blinked and looked at him, looking his body up and down as he leered at her, almost moving closer. “How much for the night, hun?” Jade felt two people move from behind her to flanking her on either side. The man looked between the two, sneering at the one on her left but leering at the one on her right.

“Careful, mister,” Jade said idly, staring the man down icily upon meeting his eyes once again. “Your insecurity is showing.” He flinched back, staring at her with confusion. She glanced down at his body, landing pointedly on his crotch, and laughed, looking back up at him. “Are all men as small and dysfunctional as you, or is it just you?” Peter laughed, wrapping an arm around Jade’s shoulders. 

“Just him, Jade,” he said loud enough for the man to hear. “ _ Just _ him.” The man’s face grew beat red and he began stuttering out a reply. Peter held up his hand, making the man pause. “Go away. No one wants you here,  _ tiny _ .” The man flinched back and turned on his heels, rushing away and muttering to himself. 

“You good, Jade?” MJ asked, concerned. Jade nodded, shrugging. 

“Men are  _ gross _ .” Peter and MJ both hummed appreciatively, Peter wrapping a protective arm around Jade’s shoulders. MJ began to walk towards the alley Gwen had gone down, causing Jade and Peter to quickly follow after her, moving to flank the older of the two females. MJ unhesitantly walking towards the dumpster halfway down, hiding the trio from view. 

“Didn’t know you had that brutal witt in you, Parker,” MJ teased as she double-checked the alley, eyeing dark corners to make sure people weren’t there.

“What can I say?” Peter asked when they moved to form a triangle, MJ pulling out the device and beginning to type in where and when they wished to go. Frigga had given them everything they would need to use the device successfully, and all three had committed to remembering it all. “I don’t like bullies.” MJ snorted, muttering something about Captain America under her breath. Jade just gave the boy a wide smile, moving on her tippy-toes for a quick second before falling back onto her heels repeatedly while they waited for MJ to finish. 

Jade’s bulky wristwatch-like devices --  **_World Hopping Watches_ ** , she called them -- involved a simple swipe of paint from Jade to appear, but as they could only travel one person at a time, they decided using the CIA device was better for multiple people traveling. It was easier, they had found, to use the one cube-like device that could transport multiple people than to use three singular devices that could  _ (potentially) _ cause them to split up. Seeing as the three building/technology nerds had yet to figure out a comm-system that could work between worlds  _ (which was  _ **_beyond_ ** _ impossible) _ , the theory that they could be split up with no way to return to their world was not something they wanted to have happen. And while this world was relatively easy to fix, the others would not be. 

They all decided  _ practice  _ would make it  _ almost-perfect _ .

MJ finished typing it in, her fingers paused above the glowing  _ “ENTER.” _ Jade looked at Peter with a smile, the boy raising an eyebrow in a perfect copy of her mother-father. 

“What a coincidence, Peter. Neither do I.”

~+~+~+~

“Uh, Jade?” 

“Yes, Neddie?”

“Why are you trending on Twitter?”

“Twit-ter?” It was silent, the three teenagers belonging to the Prime Universe looking between the numerous monitors and Jade, Ned’s jaw dropping. Jade cocked her head and looked up and over, watching a playing video with her in it. She smiled, her face opening with joy. “Oh, that was from yesterday!” The trio had been “home” from  _ Earth-65  _ for three days, and while Jade had frequently left to do whatever she pleased, they had never seen her acquire the attention of so many people -- at least all of the people that traveled around Time Square. 

“And  _ why  _ were you street performing in the  _ middle  _ of Time Square?” MJ asked, sounding exasperated. Jade moved to the screen and pointed to the guitar case she had “borrowed” the night before, the accompanying guitar strumming in the video.

“So I could get money for dinner.” MJ took in a deep breath, trying to be patient. Ned had his palm up against his forehead -- his clones copying him -- and Frigga was smiling in the back, watching the group with motherly eyes. Peter snorted, raising an eyebrow. Jade turned back to the monitor, her smile sad. “ _ House of the Rising Sun _ was our song; mom and mine.” Someone sighed, a sad tension filling the room.

“Is that why you ordered twenty large, pepperoni pizzas and Olive Garden takeout last night?” Peter asked gently, his smile remaining just as bright. Jade nodded, sheepishly shrugging.

“I didn’t think Lady Frigga would like the pizza, so pasta was the next best choice.” Ned and MJ groaned as Peter let out a boisterous laugh, wrapping Jade in a tight hug.

“At least you didn’t steal it, this time.”

“That was only  _ one  _ time, I’ll have you know!”


	4. The First Recruits to the Avengers 2.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drapetomania:  
> (n.) an overwhelming urge to run away

**Chapter Four: The First Recruits to the Avengers 2.0**

Out of the thirty “majorly damaged worlds,” the three teenagers had traveled to four, total, in the span of two weeks -- fixing the timelines while using a few minutes to explore -- before things went roughly downhill. 

“Uh-oh,” Ned #5 muttered from the computers, grabbing Ned #1-4’s attention. The group of Original Ned and Clones were playing video games in the small “living room” to unwind from the first stressful world-hop. 

Ned wanted to go with them, that time, and Frigga didn’t see anything wrong with it -- Ned, Peter, and Jade had finished the specialized comms _(with Frigga’s magical help)_ , after all, so they would be in contact at all times, and any minor problems that arose would be great practice for the bigger ones that inevitably would. But once they arrived, the group of four quickly realized it would be a bit more difficult than they had planned. 

They had to return a set of Russian knives to an _aspiring_ Russian spy -- not anyone they knew, though, as this spy was an “evil villain” that turned worse _without_ his knives _(ironically)._ The plan had gone amazingly well, Jade and Peter taking the lead while MJ and Ned helped where they could. The spy had left for a “fated trip to the grocery store” when the plan went south: Ned triggered a silent alarm and the spy came back _early_.

Peter and Jade had both gotten a couple muscle sprains and cuts, and MJ had only minor bruising, but Ned felt guilty _(especially seeing as he was the only one_ **_not_ ** _hurt)_ . In the end, Ned threw a rock to distract the spy and they were able to leave without causing more harm to the timeline. Everyone _(other than the other Neds, who were equally mortified)_ assured Ned that it was alright, but he felt too guilty to believe them. With a quickly made decision to act as though he was fine, he ordered the other Neds to help him create Plan C’s -- being overly prepared was much better than dying under-prepared. 

Unfortunately, Ned was unable to fool any of them, but they knew he needed time to process what had happened. And so, they did what they always did between World-Hopping while the device recharged. Peter and MJ, dressed as Dark Spider-Man and Cut Throat, went patrolling around the neighborhood; Jade split her time unevenly and sporadically between painting portraits or singing in Time Square for money, eating, training, sleeping, and speaking with Frigga; Ned #1-5 practiced their computer abilities, watched over Peter and MJ during their patrols, or slept; and Frigga usually spent her time reading the novels MJ had lying around. 

Sometimes, though, Peter and MJ wouldn’t go patrolling, and Ned wouldn’t play games. 

Sometimes, they sat in the training room -- silently building LEGOs or reading.

Sometimes, Jade sat beside them, lost in her thoughts as she painted. In that way, she was a miniature Tony Stark, and it worried Peter most of all.

“Ned, you’re gonna wanna see this,” Ned #5 muttered, his eyes flitting over the monitors. They paused their game as Ned moved to stand, a frown twitching on his lips as Ned #5 muttered worriedly under his breath.

“What is it? Is it Peter and MJ?” He asked, rushing towards his counterpart. Peter and MJ had gone out three hours prior to patrol. They were supposed to bring Jade, but she had been so tired that she went straight to her room. Frigga was checking on her periodically -- something _all_ Neds, Peter, and MJ had noticed whenever Jade was asleep. Frigga wouldn’t tell them why when they asked, and MJ hit Peter and Ned when they thoughtlessly tried to force it.

“No, it’s the news. _Listen_!” All of the Neds now surrounded Ned #5, watching the monitors as he turned the volume up and rewound the segment. 

_“Now onto the Breaking News,”_ a female anchor, Amanda Keeds, said in a serious voice. _“Park Rangers and the State Police have recovered two bodies located in a cave system near Stone Bridge and Caves, New York’s most famous National Park. Rob, can you tell us what happened?”_ The news panned to a man standing outside of the cave that looked eerily similar to the one MJ, Peter, and Jade had gone to. Ned gulped around the lump in his throat. _The one Peter had been_ **_tortured_ ** _in._

“But that’s not the cave Peter was in,” Ned #3 muttered, his eyebrows furrowed. Ned frowned, looking at the cave and trees. “There’s no bushes near the entrance, no ivy covering the rocks -- even the _rocks_ are a different color.” Ned gasped, placing a hand over his mouth.

“They moved the bodies.” Ned #3 nodded grimly.

“They’re staging the crime scene.”

 _“Yes, Amanda,”_ Rob began, his voice just as serious as her own, _“this cave that you see behind me belongs to a system of caves within the Stone Bridge and Caves National Park. From what we have gathered, a group of tourists exploring the area stumbled upon the bodies and alerted Park Officials yesterday morning. We have spoken to a few of the tourists, but they do not wish to be on camera.”_ The image flipped to a set of jeans and sneakers, a modulated voice speaking to the camera but not showing their face.

 _“We were just walking towards the cave when we saw the first one,”_ the person stated, their voice shaky and sounding terrified. _“The body was wrapped in something that looked like a white tarp -- but it stunk really bad. One of the guys checked it out, and puked in the corner.”_ The person shifted on their feet. _“We used one of our phones to contact the Park Rangers when one of the dogs we had on the trip started digging near one of the trees. That was when we found the second one. It was terrible!”_ The camera flipped back to Rob.

 _“The bodies have yet to be identified, but we can confirm that the first body found was male, and the one buried was a female. If anyone knows anything regarding this, or has concern over missing family members, you can call the State Police at their Tip Hotline.”_ The camera flipped back to Amanda before it was paused and muted, all five teenagers looking at each other with nervous eyes.

“How long do you think it will take them to verify it’s Aunt May?” A voice asked from behind them. Two of the Ned-Clones yelped, another two gasped, but Ned merely turned around. Peter, pale and frowning, stood behind them with a concerned MJ. Peter licked his lips, connecting eyes with his best friend. “How long?” His voice cracked, but Ned didn’t comment.

“With rapid testing, a day or two, depending on if she’s in their system.” Ned’s lips dipped into a frown. “If she’s not, it could take a week -- maybe longer.” 

“We got rid of all of the CIA’s files,” MJ joined in, frowning with furrowed eyebrows. “The ones that found the bodies most likely had no idea who May was.” Ned nodded.

“That’s true. They kept everything on the down-low with the director, and Rivera kidnapped you secretly.” Peter was nodding at Ned’s words, biting his lip in thought. “There’s a high possibility they only knew who Rivera was and decided he killed her for some reason. Or maybe they assumed there’s a serial killer on the loose.” 

“As much as it pains me to say, we cannot focus on that at the moment,” Frigga stated, grabbing their attention. She stood near the wide stairwell with a worried look. Jade stood behind her, rubbing her tired eyes and frowning. “One of the worlds I have been keeping an eye on is going to fall into ruin within the week. And no matter what we try, the outcome is always the world ending.” Peter and MJ tensed, Ned gulping loudly.

“What do you mean, Frigga?” Peter asked, frowning. “If we return the item, just like the other worlds, we can save everyone. Can’t we?” Frigga pursed her lips and shook her head, a sad frown on her face.

“There is nothing we can do to save that world.” Ned looked defeated, but MJ and Peter grew a determined look.

“We have to save them,” Jade said in a determined voice, standing on the staircase. Everyone looked to her, taking in her pale-pink, soft and silky nightgown that reached the top of her knees. Her hair was out of the pigtails and roughed up during her sleep, and she had soft slippers on her feet. Her face was slightly oily, and her slightly-sleepy attention was firmly on Frigga with an alerted posture. Peter was glad everyone in the room thought of each other as family, ‘cause if they didn’t, he would have to gouge their eyes out. “You said that in some cases, we have to remove a person. Could this be one of those cases?” Frigga frowned, but nodded.

“This is one of the worlds that people needed to be removed from. But something changed. I don’t know what it was.” Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought, and her golden globe appeared once again in her hand. The golden smoke moved around the inside of the crystal ball, and her body tensed more. “You would be able to do so, yes, but no matter who you save, or what you put back, this world is _destined_ to fall. It will create an imbalance for a moment, but after a few thousand years, the galaxies will become balanced once again.” Jade bit her lip.

“Who were we supposed to take away?” She asked, voice calm. The crystal ball turned back into golden smoke that went back into Frigga. She turned to Jade.

“A man.” She looked down with a frown. It was silent, the Goddess’s eyes focusing on things that weren’t there. “He reminds me of my Loki. You’ve met him, Jade, during your travels -- before you came here.” Jade’s eyes widened and she frowned. 

“ _Who_?” Frigga pursed her lips. 

“Wade Wilson.” 

Jade flinched back at the name, her face paling and her nightgown changing into a navy blue, long and flowing nightgown. The color was much darker and more depressing than her sad version, and Peter quickly realized she was showing her _grief_. Nodding once, she looked over to the other teens, Ned straightening instantly when her practically empty eyes landed on them. 

“You should all rest.” Jade walked over to her workstation, her mechanical drawing pad waiting on the table. “I will make more of my devices. We shall leave come morning.” MJ and Ned turned to Frigga, who gave a human shrug, and then turned to Peter. He was frowning, looking worriedly at the younger girl. 

“Who is he to you, Jade?” He asked gently, moving to sit beside her. She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes. “Did you...like him or something?” She almost laughed at that.

“I spent a year in his world. He’s my _friend;_ my brother.” She looked up at Frigga. “Maybe it was because of me. Maybe I changed his fate.” The Goddess shook her head.

“No, Jade. It changed without any input from you. Something major shifted, but it wasn’t you or those _other_ mortals.” Frigga’s eyes shifted, as though she were looking for an example. “Like a political view changed that wasn’t supposed to, or someone of great power deciding they wanted something to change and actually changed it. Either way, it _isn’t_ your fault.” 

“What did you do there for a whole year, Jade?” MJ asked gently, moving to sit on her other side. Jade licked her lips, shrugging.

“When I first got there in 2010, he was young; just hit seventeen. He dropped out of school, joined the army, and was later selected to be in the Special Forces. He hated it more than anything. I was thirteen, at the time, and was practicing with my device. I had _just_ finished it.” She fiddled with a set of springs. “I messed up my input and when I appeared, I was found and held captive by a Middle East terrorist group he was supposed to help take down. But he saw me and he saved me, going against orders and resulting in a dishonorable discharge. I stayed with him for the year because he saved my life, and I helped him figure out what he wanted to do with his own life. Wade knows everything about me -- _everything_ , everything -- and he always promised to keep it a secret. He went into the _Weapon X_ program and,” she took in a deep breath, blinking her eyes rapidly, “that was the last time I saw him.” She sniffled, wiping at her eyes and huffing a laugh. “Sorry. I just miss him.”

“It’s alright, Jade,” Peter said, wrapping her in a tight hug. He ended up rubbing her bare arms, feeling how cold they were. “We’ll get him out. Don’t worry.” She nodded, hugging him back for a few moments. When she let him go, he stood up and grabbed one of the blankets, wrapping it over her shoulders and running a hand through her hair before he turned back to the others. “Come on, guys. Let’s head onto bed.” MJ and Ned nodded, following after him as he stood up, glancing at Jade, and making his way up the stairwell and to his room. MJ and Ned nodded to Frigga and Jade, listening to the worried, motherly voice as they ascended the stairs.

“Would you like some tea, Jade?” 

“Yes, please.”

“Good. Would you like a snack, too? We still have the pumpkin bread we made?” 

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, dear, give me a moment. I shall make you a special blend from Asgard.”

“Okay.”

~+~+~+~

When Jade, dressed in a rainbow sweater, light blue jeans, and fur-lined boots, opened the door into the raucous bar ten minutes to eleven at night, she doubted they were ready for her.

The second the door closed with a loud bang, a few heads turned to her and paused. Which led to more people looking at her -- ones that looked like they belonged in biker-gangs, actual gangs, mafias, or WWE rings -- and then the music screeching to a stop. Jade gave all of them a blinding smile -- the epitome of innocence -- and looked around the bar. One man with sandy, shoulder-length hair and scraggly beard popped his head out from the doorway leading to behind the bar, looking her up and down in the small entrance hallway. _Ah, there’s Weasel._

“Hello,” Jade began, eyes landing on him, “you must be the bartender.” Weasel stepped out from behind the bar, eyeing her with suspicion. He wore black glasses, a button-down flannel, and ragged jeans with brown shoes.

“ _And_ the owner, short-stack” he said strongly. She wanted to giggle at how funny his voice sounded, but she knew that would be rude. “You’re a bit too young to be in here, kid. Maybe you should head on home.” 

_He probably thinks I am younger than my actual age,_ Jade thought, her smile widening. While she would be fifteen in another month or so, and her blood was half-Super-Soldier, she had the figure of pre-serum Rogers. She had his small height, pale skin, and lanky stature, and before she changed, she had his baby blue eyes. Jade thanked every God in existence that allowed her to look more like her mother -- her hair originally a light brown, her skin smooth and unblemished, and her generous “assets” that had started coming in. The image of Wade’s smiling face ran through her mind and she shook away her thoughts, focusing.

“Actually, this is the place I need to be.” He raised an eyebrow at that, and the men that leered at her were stepping forward. She didn’t pay attention to them, keeping her eyes firmly on the man in front of her. “I am looking for someone; a man that goes by the name of Deadpool.” Immediately, there were groans and yells of annoyance, the music turning back on and everyone going back to messing around like they were before. Except for the bartender who was now staring at her with more distrust. 

“I don’t know anyone by that name, kid. You best skip on out of here before I kick you out.” Weasel turned on his heel and went back behind the bar. Jade’s lips twitched a bit into a frown, but she shook it off, walking with determination to the bar. 

There were other people sitting there, the ones Frigga had told her about -- a man with a mechanical arm, a woman with poofy hair, a large undecipherable person wearing a hoodie, and another biker man with a small white beard who grabbed a drink and moved to a table -- but she didn’t mind, standing next to the bar. There was an empty seat there, as well, next to the man with the mechanical arm, but she didn’t dare sit down. Weasel was muttering as he wiped down a few dishes with a wet rag, and he didn’t seem to notice her, but the others sitting at the bar did. She glanced at Cable, the mechanical-armed man, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, and smiled. He grimaced and turned back to his drink. 

“What are you still doing here, kid?” Jade’s heart startled, and she turned back to Weasel, who was now glaring harshly at her. “Didn’t I tell you to skedaddle?” Jade nodded, feeling the eyes of the three people alongside the bar now staring at her. 

“It occurred to me that while you may not know Mr. Deadpool,” she began, noticing and pointedly ignoring the slight tension that filled the three people beside her, “you might know his close friend. I believe his name is Mr. Wade Wilson.” She cocked her head, smiling lightly. “I really do hate to bother you, but I _really_ must speak to either one, if they are available.”

The tension seemed to grow bigger, along with the silence. She ran her eyes over the group -- Cable and Domino were sizing her up, the person covered with the hoodie was eyeing her _(Russell, if she remembered correctly; he was seventeen, three years older than her, and same age as Peter, MJ, and Ned)_ , and Weasel was still glaring at her, unimpressed. All-in-all, it was very quiet, and Jade knew she wouldn’t be getting anything out of them -- which she expected _and_ dreaded. She took in a deep breath and sighed.

“Alright, then. Perhaps I came to the wrong place. Thank you for your time, Mr. Weasel.” She turned on her heel and walked back towards the bar door, muttering. “Maybe he’s with Mr. Dopinder. Or _Colossus_. I should check with them next, I suppose.” She almost made it to the door when she was pulled back sharply, squealing in surprise. Someone had gripped her knapsack, pulled her to a stop, and pressed something to the back of her head. The music paused.

“Who are you?” A deep voice calmly asked. “What do you want with Deadpool?” Jade felt a grin tug at her lips and she turned her head slightly.

“So you _do_ know Deadpool?” Cable was silent. Jade took it as an affirmative _(duh)_ . “Oh, good. Do you know when he might be back, perchance?” She was turned around and pushed against the bar doors, the gun now pointing at her forehead. Cable was glaring down at her, and she knew he had no qualms with killing her. A concerned Russell, curious Domino, and suspicious Weasel standing behind him might be _less_ willing, though.

“I will _not_ ask again,” Cable growled, cocking his gun. The three behind him flinched, looking between Cable and Jade with worried eyes. “Who are you and what do you _want_?” Jade narrowed her eyes at the man, and he met them head-on. After a few moments, Jade smiled.

“Do you believe in time travel, Mr. Cable?” She asked politely. Cable’s eyes widened and the gun tilted down for a split second before he replaced it against her forehead. “What about interdimensional travel?” Weasel snorted from behind Cable and Domino, but the others just shared uncomfortable looks. Jade raised an eyebrow. “I am Jade Stark-Rogers from _Earth-982_ . It is nice to meet you, Mr. Cable, Ms. Domino, Mr. Russell, and of course, Mr. Weasel.” Cable cocked a brow but said nothing. Jade continued, “I am looking for Deadpool because, by the end of the week, this world is going to perish and all of you are going to die.” She gave them a smile -- one that could only be described as wistful or “ _looney_.” “I can get you out, if Mr. Deadpool agrees.” The group was tense, looking at each other with incredulous eyes. Jade pouted and brought up her bulky watch, checking the time. 

It was only Jade this time, as she needed enough devices for however many Deadpool wanted to come with, and the CIA’s device was in her knapsack. They were not stupid -- they knew Deadpool had friends that he would need to come with for him to even think of agreeing. After many reassurances and promises that Jade would get all of them _without_ getting hurt, she traveled to _Earth-678_ . Here, the X-Men were prominent figures, but Deadpool was one of the strongest Anti-Heroes there were. Tony Stark was merely a billionaire that still wasn’t settling down, and Captain America died of old age ten years prior. And the heroes here were actors in _Earth-616_ . So far, she’d been here for an entire _Earth-616_ day -- the group before her started to laugh, startling her out of her thoughts.

“ _Interdimensional_ _travel_?” Domino asked incredulously, shaking her head. “You need some mental help, kid.” She began walking back towards the bar, Russell following.

“ _Nice_ one, kid,” Weasel chuckled, shaking his head. “You almost got us!” He followed after the other two, Cable shaking his head and doing the same. “Now, get out before we _really_ kick you out.” Jade crossed her arms, cocking her head in disbelief. _They don’t believe me?_

She had forgotten that could happen; especially to realists. 

Only Deadpool -- _Wade_ would believe her. He knew her, after all.

With another sigh, she walked out of the bar, the doors closing with another loud bang behind her. The mocking laughter and raucous music was silenced with it, and the sound of honking horns and yells took its place. Jade frowned and looked around the dirty alleyway. There was a small space next to the bar doors, right under the plaque. The doors wouldn’t swing open and hit her, so sitting there would be good. Nodding to herself, she pulled her black knapsack around and opened the back. Grabbing a paint brush, an empty drawing pad, and green paint, she painted a rough sketch of a chair, writing simple things in the margins and creating the shortcut. With a quick swipe of her paintbrush, the paint clung to the air molecules above the spot she wanted the chair. The green-painted symbol glowed briefly until a green, plastic chair appeared, dropping unceremoniously onto the ground. She put her items back in her bag, sitting in the chair so she could wash her brush.

Jade sat there for a couple minutes before it began to rain. _Huh,_ she thought idly as raindrops hit her on the forehead. _I didn’t know it was going to rain._ Sighing, she dabbed her paintbrush in more paint and drew another shortcut, creating a big umbrella that would cover the chair and herself. Crossing her legs on the chair, she hugged the staff of the umbrella and watched as the rain poured down around her, the pitter-pattering on her umbrella loud in her ears. 

“Ah, _shit_ , it’s raining,” one of the men coming out of the bar grumbled, an hour and a half later. Jade didn’t pay any attention to them, having pulled out her drawing pad and graphite pencils five minutes after the rain started. “What the fuck are you still doin’ here, kid?” She didn’t reply, attention solely focused on her drawing. One of the three men chuckled while the other two huffed. “I’ll go let Weasel know she’s still out here.” 

Five minutes later, the three men were on their way and Weasel was in front of her. 

“Kid, _why_ are you still here? It’s been over two hours!” Weasel scolded, tipping her umbrella up and effectively grabbing her attention. She blinked, looking up at the scowling man and giving him a sheepish smile. “Didn’t I tell you to _leave_?” She shrugged.

“You didn’t say anything about waiting outside,” she muttered, averting her eyes. “And I wasn’t _bothering_ anybody.” Weasel stood there for a moment before releasing a sigh. 

“Fine, kid, you can talk to him.” Jade visibly lit up, her cold skin lighting up in a yellow-like glow for a split-second, and she stood up.

“ _Really_ ? When will he be here?” Weasel shifted in his spot, watching as she put her items in a black bag while holding the umbrella staff under her right arm. “Is he bringing his friends? Do you think he’ll let me meet them? I’ve wanted to meet Dopinder since I heard about him! He seems _super_ fun.” She stopped rambling, looking up at him with that innocent grin that made him turn her away in the first place -- this place didn’t need a kid that could be easily corrupted.

“Just come in before you catch a cold,” he grumbled, holding the door open for her. She nodded vigorously and shut her umbrella, rushing into the warm bar -- the smell of body odor and alcohol more prominent with the moisture in the air. 

Weasel led her to the bar where Wade was telling his friends a story, his arms flinging around as they laughed. He didn’t know how Wade got his do-gooder friends -- Colossus, Yukio, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead _(god, what a mouthful)_ \-- and Blind Al to show up, but they were at the bar, sitting near Dopinder. Weasel felt a tad bit bad about the girl -- the group had shown up ten minutes after he kicked her out, entering from the back because Weasel texted Wade about a “crazy fan” showing up. Knowing she had sat outside in the pouring rain made his heart twinge a bit with guilt -- not that he would tell anyone but Wade _(probably)_. 

Jade didn’t mind. She assumed Wade would arrive sometime during the night, and even though she was under an umbrella so the rain wouldn’t drench her, she still loved the rain for all that it was: energy stored away in tiny droplets that replenished Mother Nature’s missing energy in a never-ending cycle. _And_ she was pleasantly surprised to see all of Wade’s important friends sitting in the room. It looked like they were having a _lot_ of fun. _Would they let me join, too?_

“Weasel, why is she _still_ here?” Cable asked monotonously as he gulped down the rest of his drink. His words caught Domino’s attention, and she turned with a raised eyebrow. Jade smiled at them, waving her hand in a small wave as she waited at the side of the bar, once again. Weasel sighed and went behind the bar, sharing a look with Domino and Cable.

“She was sitting out in the _rain_ , Cable. What the hell else was I supposed to do?” Weasel scoffed, sending a disapproving look to the young girl.

“Leave her outside,” Domino muttered with a roll of her eyes, knocking back the rest of her drink. Jade didn’t look at them, too busy watching Deadpool wave his arms around, Russell and Dopinder laughing jovially at whatever story he was spinning. He had the three X-Men wrapped around his finger, each of them listening intently to his words.

“And have _cops_ show up because she’s sitting outside like a weirdo?” That caught the X-Men's' attention, their eyes shifting from Deadpool to Weasel, and then to the girl. “No, thank you.” Russell looked up at Weasel in confusion when his eyes landed on Jade. 

“Oh, man, not _again_ ,” Russell grumbled, looking between Cable, Domino, Weasel, and the girl. “Wade, your crazy fan is here.” Wade and Dopinder looked at the boy with frowns before they turned around to pause, eyes on Jade. 

“Hi, Wade,” Jade greeted warmly, giving him a quick wave. “It’s been a while.” The group was silent, eyes moving between Wade and Jade, waiting for something to happen. 

“ _Jade_?” He asked, sounding hesitant and confused. She gave him a sad smile, nodding.

“It’s _me_ , Wade. I’ve missed you.” It was silent again.

“Wait, wait, _wait_ ,” Weasel said, moving his hands and snapping Wade out of his flashback daze. He turned to Weasel, his expression hidden by the mask. “You _know_ her?” 

“Yeah.” His voice sounded choked, and eyes widened. Wade moved to stand and walk towards her, wrapping her in an uncharastically tight hug. Jade wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him back just as hard. There was a low murmur from Russell and Dopinder.

“What’s happening?” A voice whispered, making Wade let out a shaky laugh. 

“They’re _hugging_ ,” Dopinder whispered back.

“Oh, okay.” 

“You _legal_ yet, sugar plum?” Wade muttered, squeezing her as hard as he could -- just like before. Jade giggled, the sad smile turning into a happy one.

“Careful, Wade. I still have a mean kick to the balls with your name on it.” Wade threw his head back with relieved laughter, pulling away only slightly so that he could look at her. Now, he was _sure_ it was Jade -- that was an inside joke only they knew.

“Ah, I’ve _missed_ you, jail-bait.” She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, old man. Nice suit. I see you kept those raggedy old swords.” He smiled under his mask, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“Of course I still have them. You _made_ them for me, sugar plum.” He squeezed her cheeks together, making her sigh and roll her eyes. Giggling, he turned them around, looking at his friends -- Domino, Russell, and Weasel having dropped jaws, Cable frowning. Dopinder was looking on with a happy smile, so was Colossus and Yukio. Blind Al and Negasonic carried curious expressions but played it off as boredom. “Everyone, this is my close friend, Jade. She’s like a little sister to me.” Wade happily introduced her with zero hesitance. “She’s hella smart, hella cute, and hella _off-limits_ \-- lookin’ at you steel-dick.” He pointed at a stuttering Colossus, causing a bubble of laughter to escape Jade’s lips. “She’s an interdimensional time traveler -- say _that_ twelve times fast -- and has come to-,” he paused, his head flipping to her, “-wait, why _are_ you here?” She took a breath to answer, but was cut off.

“Wait, she was telling the _truth_ about that crap?” Domino asked, pale and taken-aback. Wade turned back to them, raising an eyebrow under his mask.

“Duh. My sweet sugar plum doesn’t _lie_. Isn’t that right, sweetums?” Jade rolled her eyes but nodded, giving the group a gentle smile.

“Why didn’t you ever tell us about her?” Weasel asked, sounding a bit betrayed. “I’ve known you since 2012! That’s like... _almost_ five years.” Wade shrugged.

“It never came up. And it’s not like I had _proof_ .” He moved her to sit next to Cable at the bar, patting her head. “When she appeared in 2010, it was in the Middle East. I was trained from the age of sixteen to be in the special forces, but after spending two years in Afghanistan, I just wanted to go home.” His voice had turned from playful to serious quickly, and the group were sitting in stunned silence. “Kids _died_ in front of me. I had to kill a boy my own age, and when I _cried_ over it, I got a strike against me. When we were sent to kill the leaders of Al Qaeda, I was one of the first ones to go in. I saw Jade crying in the corner, and when I informed my Commander, he told me that we would have to kill her. Later on, I learned she was older than she looked, but at the time, I thought she was nine or ten and I couldn’t do it. I went against orders and saved her life, but in return, two of our men died. I was dishonorably discharged, and when I got back, she was waiting for me.” It was silent and Jade took over, noticing Wade was getting flashbacks over the whole ordeal.

“I had been there for a week,” Jade started, grabbing their attention. “A day before Wade saved me, there was a high-tiering member that had left to go somewhere else. They assumed I had powers that could teleport me around, due to how suddenly I appeared, so they were trying to figure out a way to make me help them. If not, they were going to sell me to the highest bidder.” Looks Jade couldn’t decipher passed over their faces -- some disgust, others pity. “I was indebted to Wade, and I felt _really_ guilty. If I had paid attention better to what I was doing, I wouldn’t have been in that situation, and Wade wouldn’t have been discharged. Wade didn’t like me much, either, but he allowed me to hang around for a bit. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and my traveling watch had malfunctioned upon arrival. It was after a week of traveling around that we realized Al Qaeda were still after me.” Wade reached out and grabbed Jade’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She pursed her lips, remembering the bitter fear that suffocated her every day on the run. “One of them grabbed me when I was trying to go to the bathroom. I screamed so loud, Wade and three civilians stormed in to save me.”

“We were mostly on the down-low, after that. No pictures, no traveling during the day, no hotels, no job. And no _money_ .” Wade sighed, running his free hand over his head as though to run it through his hair. “But Jade had powers -- a type of _painting_ things into reality and understanding technology on an engineering level. We used it to get by, and we managed to kill anyone that tried to take her.” He looked over to her in that moment, grimacing under his mask. “Sorry about that, by the way.” She shrugged.

“It’s okay, Wade.” She turned to the silent, curious mercenaries and heroes. “I couldn’t kill anyone for a long time. I was too scared. Wade didn’t want to force me, but it was inevitable.” She pursed her lips. “A man came in during the night. We thought we lost them, and that we were safe for at least three days. But they found us.” Wade wrapped his hand around a glass and crushed it in his hands, making Dopinder and Blind Al jump.

“I got wasted and slept through the whole thing. If it wasn’t for Jade using what I taught her, we would have both been killed. After a while, we tracked down the ring-leader and killed him. That is how the leaders of the _Weapon X_ program found me.” He looked down and over at Jade. “They offered me a job. I couldn’t get one anywhere else, and Jade had finished her _World Hopping Watch_ , so it was decided that we would part ways. Jade packed up a duffle bag I got her and left, and I remained with _Weapon X_ ‘till I left that shit-show, too.” Jade nodded, frowning.

“ _Painting_ powers?” The pink-haired Yukio asked curiously after many tense moments of silence. Jade was relieved no one wanted to comment on Wade’s moment of weakness, or _Weapon X_. “How do you do that?” Jade smiled and pulled her bag around, pulling out her items.

“In my drawing pad, I have items that I have drawn out over the years. Schematics, blueprints, and so on.” She flipped her pad to the first page, pushing it down in front of the others so they could crowd around it. “That’s one Wade and I worked on together. We used Marvel Comics’ Thor as inspiration -- who is real in the Universe I currently reside in. It’s supposed to be his hammer, but it’s mostly rubber. I write out the properties I want the object to have in the margins, and then a designated shortcut on the bottom. We designed it so that I could distract hostiles long enough for Wade to kill them.” While she spoke, she brought out her painting palette and put a small amount of purple paint on it, grabbing a clean paintbrush. Wade squealed beside her, moving excitedly on his toes. Jade was positive he was excited to mess around with the “Funny Hammer” again, but she also knew he was forcing positive emotions. “Everything has to be specific. If it’s not, then it won’t entirely work. Every once in a while, I realize there is a kink in my drawings, so I have to reword it, or add something new. And when I paint the shortcut, it appears.” Dabbing the paintbrush in the purple paint, Jade lifted it up into the empty space before her, painted a symbol on air molecules, and listened to the awed Yukio and Dopinder. The symbol glowed purple before a funny-looking rubber hammer _appeared_.

“Yay! Funny Hammer!” Wade cheered, grabbing onto it and running around the room, hitting chairs and tables. “Oh, how I’ve _missed_ you, Funny Hammer!” The tables and chairs he hit caused the hammer to squeak once before destroying the items. On inanimate objects, it destroyed them, but on people, it made them laugh uncontrollably until Wade could kill them. It was a great distraction tool that Wade was in love with.

“The hell?” Blind Al muttered with a frown, listening to the sound of stuff breaking.

“Hey! You’re breaking my stuff!” Weasel chased after the laughing maniac, Yukio and Negasonic looked through her drawing pad, reading her notes and running their fingers over the pictures. The others were looking between Wade, the hammer, and her. 

“It’s been years for Wade, but almost two for me.” She turned to the others. “With the device I created to help me travel into other worlds fixed and Wade busy, I travelled around. I didn’t have any family left -- well, I did, but _he_ wasn’t going to be of any use.” She shrugged, smiling at Cable and Domino. “Finally, I stopped in the Prime Universe -- the one every universe to exist copies. I live there, now.” Wade hit Weasel with the hammer, laughter bubbling out of both of their throats. Russell and Dopinder went over, asking to get hit with the Funny Hammer and laughing just as hard. Jade grinned. Domino raised an eyebrow, curious, but Colossus stepped forward, his metal form glinting in the yellow light.

“Why are you here, now?” Colossus asked in his Russian accent. “Why _now_ , after all this time?” Jade’s smile faded, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Wade has saved my life more times than I can count.” She looked between the five people before her, three pairs of eyes moving to her with curiosity, one looking through her, and the last growing wide with horror. “Now, it is my turn to save _him_.”

Pictures:

(Funny Hammer)

(Jade's hair color, dress when meeting Peter, clothes when meeting Deadpool, and nightgown.)

(I imagine Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter as Jade. Jade carries Luna's "wistful" voice, and is often absent-minded like her. Remember that she was called "Loony Lovegood" for a reason, and Jade is exactly like her, though I would think she's more Hufflepuff than Ravenclaw.)

(Basic idea: changes hair-color, outfit, and makeup to match certain moods.)

(First members of Avengers 2.0, other than Jade.)

(New Members of Avengers 2.0, though only Russell, Cable, Domino and Wade will be truly involved.)


	5. The Bright Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A child who has lost everything,  
> Sits on the doorstep of a house  
> That is no longer there.
> 
> \-- Unknown

**Chapter Five: The Bright Light at the End of the Tunnel**

“Alright! Everyone shut up, we need a headcount,” Weasel called, carrying a clipboard and standing at the front of the yellow school bus. “Buck, Bob and Axe!” 

The seats were relatively small, so only two could fit in each seat, but this was the only one they could get within the span of four days  _ (five on Earth-616) _ . A lot of people wanted to be shuttled to safety  _ (obviously) _ so people were sitting on top of each other or on the floor, strapped in with ropes. The ceiling of the bus carried three safety nets, holding everyone’s bags of important items _ (either full of money, clothes, sentimental items, or guns from their bank accounts and safes) _ . Jade had worked hard on the bus over the four days with little sleep, and had made many modifications to the bus to allow more speed, generate and run on electricity, and create a little spot for the CIA’s device on the dashboard with connectors leading to the engine. They would have to get the power up, seeing as she used it to travel here -- and if they wanted over a  _ hundred  _ people to go, it would have to be  _ fully  _ charged. 

The connectors would charge the device  _ while  _ she drove through electricity generated by the engine. That way, the whole bus-load of people could travel all at once without issues.

“Here!” The man with the beard from the bar, Buck, called back from the seat behind Jade’s, petting his two Rottweilers that were drooling all over the seats. Jade had tested the devices to see if animals could be transported between worlds when she was sure it was first stable, so she created specialized harnesses to keep the two Rottweilers tied in for Buck.

“Great! Bullseye, Magneto, and Psylocke.” The three mercenaries/villains sat behind the dogs and Buck, sitting on each other and tied down with rope. When word had gotten out among the community, it took two days for the heroes and villains to jump on the chance to get out of there -- Professor Xavier and Magneto  _ (their main “leaders”) _ ordering their followers to  _ not  _ kill each other. Most of the mercenaries/villains there were some of Wade’s former friends, and Jade couldn’t say  _ “no” _ for her life. “Jesus Christ, this is a full house.” Weasel moved on with a sigh. “Armondo, Juan, Felipe, and Charles.” They were more mercenaries, but they didn’t have any powers. They were in Buck’s biker gang, and they were Weasel’s poker buddies, so he added them onto the list immediately. They waved their hands, looking a bit perturbed to be there. “Blob-,” he took up a whole seat, unfortunately, but he was really nice to Jade  _ (he even  _ **_thanked_ ** _ her) _ , “-Agent Zero, Sabretooth-,” they were friends, so they sat together, “-Kestrel and Chris.” They sat behind Wade, Dopinder, Blind Al, and Weasel, who were sharing the front seat. “Mystique and Nightcrawler.” They were mother and son. 

“ _ Here _ , Weasel,” one of the members grumbled. Weasel rolled his eyes, but marked it off.

“Colossus, Yukio, Negasonic, Russell, and Cable.” They sat behind Kestrel and Chris. Cable and Colossus were being sat on by the younger teens, but only Cable looked uncomfortable. “Havok, Peter Maximoff-,” Jade knew that he was,  _ essentially _ , Wanda’s twin, but he was completely different compared to the Pietro she lost, “-Claws and Professor Scary with his  _ girlfriend _ .” Someone snorted in the back -- she assumed it was Wolverine.

“All here, Mr. Weasel,” Professor Xavier called back, chuckling. Wolverine sat beside him, muttering and glaring at the bartender. Weasel ticked them off, and moved down the list. 

Jade hummed idly, hitting her heels together in the driver’s seat as she waited for Weasel to finish, looking at her watch. They had a couple days before they  _ really  _ had to “skedaddle,” so she wasn’t too worried -- she was thankful she created  _ many  _ more devices during her random bouts of long-lasting anxiety while waiting for everyone to gather in one place and get on the bus. If she didn’t, some would have  _ definitely  _ been left behind.

“Storm, Iceman, Archangel, Beast, Phoenix, Cyclops, and Cyclops’ Jeanie Grey!” Jean laughed, calling back that they were all there. The other seven grumbled, sitting directly behind Cyclops and his fiance. “ _ Amazing _ . Gambit, Rogue, Longshot and Forge.” 

“Here,” Gambit grumbled from under Rogue’s weight. Those four didn’t like each other too much, but they were stuck on the same seat. Jade felt a bit bad about that, but Wade and Weasel made the list, so the blame couldn’t really be placed on her. Weasel ticked them off and then looked up, grimacing when he took in the backseats.

They were full of young mutant children from Professor Xavier’s school -- maybe forty mutants that were the reason everyone had to sit on top of each other. Each had a special harness the Professor asked Jade to provide -- which she did, of course. He was rather excited to go to a new world, especially after she told him there were mutant children that got kidnapped and tortured, so they would benefit from having a teacher that could help them.  _ (Of course, the excitement dimmed at  _ **_that_ ** _ , but it returned when he realized there would be more children to help.)  _ Many of the X-Men and “unsavory individuals” did not want to be there, but it didn’t matter -- they were going to be saved, so they were stifling their murderous rages. The only ones sitting on the aisle floor and near the steps of the bus were the  _ newer  _ recruits of the X-Men -- another fifteen -- so she thought everyone sitting in actual seats should be thankful for that.

“You got all your ankle-biters accounted for, Professor?” Weasel asked, hesitant to say all of their names. A couple of the children giggled, unaware what was truly happening. 

“Yes, all forty-five are accounted for, Mr. Weasel. I  _ double  _ checked,” Professor Xavier assured, smiling calmly. He was one of the most patient men Jade had come across, but Magneto and Wolverine  _ (who Wade was still infatuated with) _ were the most impatient. 

“Thank  _ God _ ,” Weasel breathed, looking at the bottom of the list, “Dazzler, Marrow, Jubilee, Sage, Cloak and Dagger-,” they muttered  _ “here” _ from their spots on the floor, “-Warpath, Sunspot, Xorn, Thunderbird, Cypher, Bishop, Cannonball, Chamber and Slipstream.” He ended at the grumbling mutants that were sitting on the floor near the front, Chamber and Slipstream huffing from beside Jade. She smiled, turning in her seat to look up at Weasel. “Great. Everyone’s here, finally. Jade, got anything useful to say?” Weasel turned to the girl with a raised eyebrow. Weasel hadn’t warmed up to her over the four days she had been there, but she didn’t really blame him -- he had a lot on his plate,  _ especially  _ before she showed up unannounced. 

“Yes, I do. Thank you, Weasel,” she said politely, moving to stand. Chamber moved closer to Slipstream to give her room, both strapped down tightly with the ropes. Weasel moved to sit down, strapping himself in on top of Dopinder, who huffed under the heavier man. Jade looked over the slightly annoyed, slightly bored, and mostly anxious group. “I handed out anchoring watches a bit ago before everyone boarded the bus, collars for the dogs. Does everyone still have them?” A few nodded, others holding them up, and Buck nodded firmly  _ (she had helped him out with the collars before everyone boarded) _ . She gave them a smile, her voice gentle and calm. “Good. I’m going to need all of you to put them on  _ before  _ we leave, if you haven’t already. When we leave this world, we will end up in a new one,  _ obviously _ . However,  _ most  _ of you have counterparts that are still alive -- other versions of yourself within this new world. 

“Only one of you can exist in that dimension. The watches I provided you will  _ keep you there.  _ If you do not have them on by the time we are there, you  _ will  _ pop back over to this world, and I will be unable to get you before it --  _ you know _ . ” The few that had heard this before -- mostly Wade’s friends, Magneto, Professor Xavier, and his other teachers -- nodded and helped others with their own  _ (the children had theirs placed on immediately, and double checked to make sure they were tight enough) _ . Weasel snorted, rolling his eyes as Wade punched him in the shoulder. “They are waterproof, so there is no need to worry about that -- you just need to have them strapped on so that you are anchored to the new world. And it is important that you  _ don’t take them off  _ until I can come up with something else that you won’t have to worry about losing.” She paused, waiting patiently for everyone to be finished hooking their anchoring watches up and sitting down, restrapping themselves.  _ (The watches they had would be unable to travel through worlds, like hers.)  _ “Great. We’re going to have to drive around for a bit to get the power to travel, so it’s going to be a bumpy ride, but it shouldn’t bother you too much.” 

Jade moved to sit back down and strapped herself in, humming idly to herself as they began muttering to each other. Grabbing her interdimensional comms from her knapsack, she turned them on and put it in her left ear. Waiting for it to power up, she turned the bus on, the cube device popping open on top of the dashboard. A few people gasped at the sudden movement, awed whispers beginning as she entered the information on the blue hologram-like light. The power bar was centered in the middle, but with the connector Jade made earlier on, it would be able to charge with the bus. Putting it in drive, she pulled out of the Walmart parking lot they had met at.  _ (What a sight they were!)  _ She would have to keep an eye on the device; it was something a few mutants in the bus would like to steal.

_ “Artisan, are you there?” _ Ned’s familiar voice chimed, making her relax. 

“Yes. Can you hear me, TRACE?” She asked, grabbing a few mutants' attention.

_ “Loud and clear, Artisan.”  _ She could hear distant typing and someone muttering.

_ “Artisan, sitrep,” _ Peter ordered, sounding as relieved as she felt.

“Wade Wilson and friends are accounted for,” she replied, turning onto the freeway. “Four days have passed, here. During which, we have created many anchoring devices and obtained a vehicle. Currently, we are driving along Interstate 84, charging the device via electricity generating engine.” She sped up, gaining energy to charge the device by going at high speeds. “We are travelling in a yellow school bus, maybe forty minutes out from Earth-616.” 

_ “School bus?” _ MJ muttered.  _ “How many ‘friends’ are you bringing here?” _ Jade swerved past a car, speeding up to seventy.

“Counting myself, I have one-oh-five passengers within the Yellow School Bus. Forty-five are mutant children with Professor Xavier’s school, and the others are all adult mutants. We are also carrying two Rottweilers that are safe to travel multi-dimensions.” She paused. “And yes, you may call me Ms. Frizzle instead of  _ Artisan _ . As that is who I am, now -- mind, body and soul.” Chamber and Slipstream snorted from beside her, Wade and Dopinder loudly rambling about the trees and cars they were passing. MJ sighed, but let out a breathy laugh -- relieved Jade managed to gather the group at all.

_ “We will set up cots for them before your arrival,” _ Peter stated, his tone serious and very leader-y.  _ “We will  _ **_also_ ** _ be speaking about your lack of communication upon your arrival.” _

“Yes, sir, Spider-Man.” She glanced in the right-rear view-window, moving into the slow lane where there were almost no cars. “We are almost charged. I will update you when we are ready to start up the device and commence the  _ Ascension _ .” 

_ “Copy that, Artisan. Be safe.”  _ The line went dead and she was, mentally, alone.

It took twenty minutes to fully charge the device, but the others within the bus didn’t notice. Glancing back periodically, she could see that most of them were talking to each other -- a few playing games on their phones or reading a book. Finally, she made it to the exit that would lead to the area she wanted: a straight road that curved around rocks, creating a cliff of trees below it. Problem was, the road was blocked off for construction.

_ “Whoopsies!” _ Jade said nonchalantly as she drove through the orange and white signs that barricaded the road. There were no workers or police around, so she wasn’t worried.

“Wait,  _ how  _ old are you again?” Bullseye called out, catching everyone’s attention. Jade pulled to a stop, glancing through the rearview mirror to look back at the archer.

“Fourteen. My birthday is next month -- well, it is in  _ May _ .”

“Happy Early Birthday, Jailbait!” Wade called, laughing like a maniac for a quick bit. Jade glanced back at him through the mirror, rolling her eyes. She pressed the button on her comms once again, calling forth those on the other side.

“Artisan, here. The Yellow School Bus is about to  _ Ascend _ . Any objections, TRACE?” The mutants went silent as she spoke, most likely confused as to who she was speaking to.

_ “No objections. You’re in the all clear, Artisan. Ascend when ready.” _

“Do you even know how to  _ drive _ , kid?” Chamber asked gruffly, looking up at her from his spot on the floor. She laughed, tightening her straps.

“No, no, I do  _ not  _ know how to drive.” That raised alarmed murmurs. “You know, I was expecting that question earlier on in the trip.” Jade giggled and revved the engine. “Everyone hold on!” She didn’t give anyone time to reply, putting the bus in drive and pushing her foot down on the gas, the bus lurching forward and gaining speed. 

_ “Those poor people,” _ MJ muttered, making Jade laugh with exhilaration.

Many of the children and adults squealed with excitement, and others screamed and yelped as they were moved around. Jade could hear Buck muttering to his dogs, and she felt a bit bad about it, but she told him what would happen before it did -- just like with Magneto and Professor Xavier. The bus went faster, moving towards the cliff overlooking the trees. When she was getting close to the edge, she pushed herself forward and pressed the  **“ENTER”** key on the keypad. Jade let out a loud peal of maniacal laughter, the bus glowing a bright yellow before it zapped out of existence.

“Whoa!” The kids cheered, awed as they looked out the window. 

Instead of falling over the ledge, the bus had transported into a special pocket of the universe: full of stars, galaxies, and memories. The backdrop was mostly as black as night with a few white stars and swirling mixes of pink and purple galaxies. As they were still in their universe, though, the swirling galaxies contained the images of important events -- much like the images the device showed when one looked at a certain universe. Like short clips, events played out over the bus, the memories gaining an amazed awe from the group. The bus continued on, driving down an invisible road at a free-way-worthy speed to the ending universe -- a white swirling galaxy that would take them to another lane with the actual worlds on either side of the bus; like going down a neighborhood street at night, the houses being the worlds.

“Phew! That was fun, huh?” She glanced down at the two superheroes beside her. Chamber was stoic-faced, but Slipstream had a green hue and was lying down in his limited space. She giggled and looked back at a few others -- some had their eyes closed, and others were looking around like it was Christmas. She turned back to the front. “The clips you are seeing are the important events your world had. If you look out your left, you will see images of the Holocaust; the next galaxy contians images of World War One; so on and so forth.” There was a distant muttering, children and adults releasing awed cooes over what they were seeing. “And if you look to your right, you will see the more recent events that shaped your world -- the creation of the X-Men, the miniature Apocalypse issue you had, and if you look  _ super  _ close, you can see me all the way at the end!” 

And there she was -- rainbow-haired and sitting outside of Sister Margaret’s under an umbrella. The rain poured around her, and they weren’t noticeable at all, so why did past-Jade look up directly at them with a wink? The bus jolted as they went through the last swirling white galaxy, closer to their destination. 

“Whoa,” one of the mutants muttered, “are those the other worlds?” Jade nodded.

“Yep!” She called back, keeping her eyes firmly straight and gripping the wheel. “Each galaxy is a world; a different dimension. All dimensions are made with the Prime Universe,  _ Earth-616,  _ in thought;  _ that’s  _ where we are going. Some dimensions are mirror images of the Prime Universe with just genders swaps or major events that happened fifteen years earlier -- like in  _ that  _ universe there,  _ Earth-982 _ .” They passed her old one, an old-timey Captain America saluting with a grin. “Others are where everyone is zombies, or animals. One dimension has people in  _ medieval  _ times, too! I hope I get to go to that one, next.” 

“What made our world different from the Prime Universe?” Buck asked from behind her, curious and excited. “Did we have more mutants and superheroes?” Jade chuckled.

“Well, you guys  _ did  _ have more superheroes and mutants compared to the Prime Universe.” Buck was smugly grinning. “While you have the X-Men and the Brotherhoods, the Prime Universe has the Avengers and HYDRA, AIM, and  _ aliens _ . From what I have gathered, your world has more mutants due to harmful chemicals placed in foods your parents ate when you were in the womb. Because you received everything from your parents, the chemical altered your genetic makeup, making you mutants.” Jade paused, grimacing. “The Prime Universe doesn’t really  _ have  _ that -- some are born with their mutated genes, but most are  _ made  _ into what they are.” Jade felt eyes narrow on her, and she could feel people listening in.

“And  _ you  _ are not from the Prime Universe?” Magneto asked, speaking for the first time since four hours prior. He had been quiet and pale since he realized she was speaking the truth about their previous dimension coming to an end, calling his closest allies and ordering them to come to the Walmart Parking Lot they were in. Jade shifted in her seat.

“No, I am not,” she replied, voice level. She tried to keep it short. “I am from  _ Earth-982. _ My parents resided in the Avengers;  _ superheroes _ . My father was a Super-Soldier, and my mother was a technical genius. She could make anything and  _ everything _ . My father decided he wanted to be with his ex-girlfriend, so he traveled back in time to be with her,  _ after  _ my mother gave her life to save our universe. Didn’t bother to take me with him. Good riddance, I say.” Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, and the group that could see her watched her rainbow hair turn wine red with anger. When she had calmed, it went back to the rainbow and she shrugged her shoulders. “By going back in time, he began changing everything. And after I left to travel the multiverse and met Wade, when I came back, everything I knew was gone. People I grew up with were dead, my mother’s former friends had  _ no  _ idea who I was, and worse of all -- my mother was  _ alive _ , working paycheck to paycheck, and having  _ no  _ aspirations other than waiting for death to take her.” She licked her lips. “Once you leave someone’s world, you have to assume it won’t be the same when you come back.”

“And you’ve been traveling the  _ multiverse _ ?” Blob asked, curious. Jade nodded.

“Yep! Well, you see, when I went back to my original world, I watched someone take my father’s baseball cap. At first, I thought that was rather rude, but I wanted to commend him -- so I followed.” She paused, turning the bus a bit so they were still on track. “Next thing I know, he’s traveling away with this big ol’ thing right here!” She let out a laugh, patting the device. “By taking an item from a world, you are,  _ essentially,  _ changing fate. It was one of the things I refused to do while traveling the different worlds -- removing items from their original world. I realized his actions would have dire consequences to the fate of the world, so I went to the Prime Universe to stop whoever the man worked for. It was the CIA, by the way.

“While looking around, I began looking for the Prime Universe’s version of someone I once knew. I figured he could help, and soon enough, I found him --  _ Spider-Man _ , but he was being tortured. So, I saved him. Together with his two friends and the Norse Goddess, Lady Frigga, we have been traveling the multiverse, returning stolen items. Some people will have to be removed for Fate to be corrected, but we haven’t gotten there, yet. But it’s mostly a matter of whether we bring the person to the Prime Universe, or kill them.” Jade glanced in the rearview mirror. “Cut Throat is leaning towards killing; I would rather kidnap them and hold them captive within the Prime Universe.” She gave the mirror a blinding smile, making the ones that were looking at her through it snort and shake their heads. She turned back to the front. “Unfortunately, your world had a giant change -- a super major one that we couldn’t change, no matter what we did; we think it’s a political one. When I was told it was Wade’s world, I made the decision of grabbing him, which led to all of you. Of course, all of you leaving won’t change anything, so there won’t be any  _ giant  _ repercussions -- the world will still end via something I’m not sure of, unfortunately. Sorry about your world, by the way.” 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a bummer,” Weasel called out, nonchalant. “Hey, what’s with the color changing, anyway?” Jade let her head fall back in laughter, grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s part of my powers, Weasel.” She shrugged, looking back at the curious man surrounded by curious mutants. “I change colors depending on my mood.” Yukio gasped.

“Like a mood ring?” She asked politely, copying Jade’s grin. Jade chuckled.

“Yep. Like a mood ring.” She turned back to the front, pressing her comms once again. “TRACE, Artisan reporting.” 

_ “We are here, Artisan,” _ Ned responded, as though he never left.  _ “How far out?” _

“Five minutes out from  _ Earth-616 _ . Requesting immediate blockage of military signals.” 

_ “Copy that.” _

The bus was silent, other than the kids growing louder as they pointed out different things they could see. Jade began humming the tune to  _ Pink Panther _ , tapping her fingers on the wheel.

“So, are you made?” A mutant from the back asked --  _ maybe Storm? _ Wade felt his heart start to pound, a sense of hope growing. Jade was quiet, glancing up at the rearview window. 

“Who,  _ me _ ?” Chamber snorted from beside her, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, you,” the lady replied calmly. “Were you born like us, or were you made?” Jade pursed her lips, furrowing her eyebrows as she remembered.

“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.” She called back. “It’s always been a bit blurry; nothing of interest, I assure you.” She pulled on her gear shift, letting the car go faster as they moved closer to the galaxy. Wade took notice of her vague answer, wondering what it was she had gone through. Whenever he had asked, years prior, she refused to answer; changing the subject, in most cases. “ _ Anyways- _ ,” she paused, pressing down harder onto the gas pedal, “-we’re entering  _ Earth-616’s  _ orbit. Once we get through, you’re going to feel a bit nauseous, but it will fade.” Someone muttered something she didn’t pay attention to, but it didn’t matter. The bus went through the main image of  _ Earth-616’s  _ universe, driving past images of the Prime Universe’s most important events -- mostly the beginning of the world, expansion into technology, STARK industries and Captain America, the creation of the Avengers, and then Jade carrying someone dressed in civilian clothes. 

Wade paid special attention to it. It was weird, seeing her look so terrified. Of course, he had seen her terrified many times while on the run from Al Qaeda, but the way she carried the body, tears running down her face and blood covering her clothes, made him pause. The images rewinded, playing on repeat until they were finally past it, and he could no longer see it. 

The sudden squealing and screaming from the mutants within the bus snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking around, he realized what was causing such a ruckus -- the bus was going into the new universe; the light surrounding it bright and pulsing. The bus was glowing yellow, and the cube device on the dash  _ (which he watched carefully) _ was glowing a hologram blue. He grit his teeth, feeling his stomach roll and pulse, and closed his eyes while breathing heavily. Almost as quickly as he did so, the bus dropped from the sky, more screaming and whimpering erupting from the group. 

“It’s okay, everyone -- we’re almost there!” Jade called back assuringly. 

_ She always did that _ , a voice whispered in his head, his eyes open and looking past Blind Al and Weasel.  _ Assured others that everything would be alright.  _ Wade felt tears gather at his eyes, feeling ashamed. When Jade had left, she left with the mentality that he would be a better person. He had lied to her about Weapon X, saying he would do good things --  _ “superhero things, sugar plum” _ \-- so that people could be protected. And while it could be argued that he did make the world a better place, he still killed  _ children _ ; still killed innocents. 

How could he look at her, knowing he lied to her?

The bus landed on the ground with a sharp thud, screams of fear sounding from the children in the back -- and Dopinder, if Wade were being honest. The sudden feeling of nausea had stopped, but he could hear gagging from a few of the mutants tied to the floor. Jade was muttering -- talking to whoever that  _ TRACE  _ person was -- before the bus began moving at a slower speed once again. 

“Sorry! We’re almost done, everyone!” Jade assured, wearing a small frown. The bus drove a bit faster, and some of the windows were pulled down to let in fresh air -- and allow a few mutants to puke. Wade didn’t blame them -- he would hurl, too, if the mask wasn’t there.

_ “How far out, Artisan?” _ MJ asked worriedly through the comms. Jade kept glancing back, a bit worried that one of the heroes would puke on a “villain” and start a fight. 

“We’re a block away, actually,” she muttered back, pulling around a corner.

_ “Understood, we’re opening the garage. Come in like usual.” _

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jade pulled into the small parking lot connected to the warehouse, the sunlight was harsh but the air was cool -- typical April weather in New York. She was dreading the hot, humid weather of June and July.  _ (June was her second least favorite month -- July being the first.)  _ But it would be May, soon, and with that came her birthday. The steel garage door was pulled open by the time the entire bus was in the parking lot, and she slowly pulled in, hearing the distant muttering and groans from those within the bus. 

But she couldn’t stop the smile that grew when she saw her family standing there.

Peter was standing in the front, looking worried yet excited, MJ and Ned flanking him -- Frigga flanking MJ with a motherly grin, and the other four Neds flanking Ned. Jade pulled the bus to a stop, excitedly throwing her seatbelts off and stuffing the device in her knapsack as the garage door closed loudly behind the bus. Standing up, she turned to everyone on the bus.

A little under half were standing, having already undone their seatbelts, and the others that were still sitting were breathing heavily to calm their urge to puke. Wade’s row was up and moving, Wade stepping over the mutants with Blind Al on his back to make his way over to her.

“Everyone,” she called in her usual whimsical voice, catching their eyes, “allow me to be the first to welcome you to  _ Earth-616 _ , the Prime Universe, and your new home. My friends have set up cots for all of you, and we ask that you stay for a couple days while we gather important paperwork -- such as birth certificates, social security, housing, and such -- along with figuring out a better way for those bulky watches. If you would like to leave early, please let one of us know, and we will be happy to assist you before you vanish. Thank you for your time.” With a nod, she grabbed Wade’s hand and pulled him off the bus, leaving everyone else on it.

“She’s a fucking  _ whirlwind _ ,” Wolverine grumbled, helping the smiling Professor out of his seat. He had been one of the few that was completely fine during the trip, and Wolverine was very much annoyed with him for doing so. “Do you really think our world will die?” 

“Yes, she is, and yes, I do believe it will.” The heroes and villains were piling off the bus, the children unsnapping their harnesses and rushing out. It was decided the stronger ones of the group would grab the bags, but everyone wanted to rest before it went to that. Wolverine, Storm, and Cyclops were frowning, still sitting around the bus and waiting for everyone else to get off.

“Shouldn’t we have stayed? Fight off whatever would destroy the planet?” Cyclops asked, the ever present frown still on his face.

“We knew it was coming, too. We should have stayed,” Wolverine growled, secretly more upset at having to leave his motorcycle than the potential of his world being destroyed. Professor Xavier shook his head, giving the three a sad smile.

“There would have been nothing we could do.” The three shared looks, annoyed and upset. “Just like you, my friends, I am upset that we left. Perhaps, like you believe, we could have stopped our world from peril. But there was no guarantee. And I had the children to think about.” The Professor shook his head, looking through the window to watch as Jade’s friends assisted the group, Jade and Wade wrestling in the back with peeling laughter. A smile quirked at his lips. “This will be a new start; a fresh slate for all of us. It will be rough. Think of it as an  _ adventure _ , my friends. For that is what it is.” 

~+~+~+~

It took two weeks to get everyone their paperwork, housing, and anchor issue finished. 

Most of the supervillain group settled with an anchored anklet or ring. The others stated the watch would be fine. The heroes got chips implanted in their torsos, along with the children. After assuring all of them that it wasn’t a tracking chip, they took it immediately.  _ (The villains flat-out refused.) _

One by one, each person was given their paperwork and a place to stay, Peter and MJ vowing to keep it all secret. Professor Xavier, the X-Men, and the children were able to buy a plot of land in Westchester County, New York -- in the same plot their old mansion used to be. Magneto and his group got an entire building in Los Angeles, but from what they told Jade, they were planning on being better. She wasn’t sure if they were truthful, but she gave them the benefit of the doubt and sent them on their way -- while  _ “unknowingly” _ slipping them the knowledge of a few serial killers and sex traffickers that were going to pop up within the next year.  _ (When their eyes lit up with morbid excitement, she knew she did a good thing.) _ Buck and his buddies were given a plot of land, as well, but they were going to be in Las Vegas -- Buck almost cried with how much money Jade had given him to buy a place  _ (it was painted money, but it would work) _ . 

Wade sent Blind Al to go live with Professor Xavier  _ (along with Colossus, Negasonic, and Yukio) _ , taking the bus with them, but the other five remained rooted at the warehouse. Jade gave them their own rooms, and helped them out with the training equipment and such, but she could tell Weasel missed his little bar. 

After everyone had settled/left, Peter told her what she had missed.

Both May and Rivera’s bodies had been recovered, but the police were unsuccessful in identifying either of them.

Her little video had gone viral and record companies were actively searching through Time Square for her.  _ (Peter had grimaced at this, but she could see he was a bit intrigued.) _

The Rogue Avengers were still on the loose, but there had been a few sightings in Russia, Los Angeles, and --  _ unsurprisingly  _ \-- Brooklyn. 

And the biggest one of all: the CIA had started an investigation into the murders of the CIA agents. They had labeled it as a domestic terrorist threat, and they were combing through everything to find out what had happened -- they even were in contact with Peter over the phone, but he was in Central Park at the time, so the trace wasn’t needed. 

“They won’t be able to track you here, will they?” Jade asked worriedly as the large group ate Frigga and Jade’s newest ramen recipe. Peter and Ned shook their heads.

“No,” Peter replied, “Ned made a lot of paperwork for my alias, and for all they know, I live in an apartment building near Central Park paid by ‘daddy’s money.’” Jade nodded, pleased.

“Do we get to go next?” Wade asked, still wearing his Deadpool suit. Peter and MJ looked at the man with furrowed eyebrows, confused. “To help with putting things back?” Jade seemed to bloom in her seat, sitting up straighter and smiling wide. 

Peter looked to Frigga, unsure. He didn’t know Wade like Jade, and all of them didn’t really know his small group of friends they were providing food and room for. While they were nice -- Russell, Dopinder, Ned, and Peter had gotten along  _ famously _ , MJ and Domino were patrolling together a lot more than she did with Peter, and Wade, Weasel, and Cable were always around Jade -- fixing the universes was an  _ important  _ matter; like life or death.

One he didn’t have control over -- Frigga did, and  _ maybe  _ Jade.

“Please, Lady Frigga?” Jade almost begged, giving the older woman her puppy dog eyes. Frigga just smiled gently at the girl, looking at Peter and shrugging regally. 

“More hands will do no harm,” Frigga finally said, watching as Wade cheered. Russell and Dopinder looked excited, but Cable and Weasel were grimacing, sharing uncomfortable looks with each other. Domino was silent, more or less, as she stuffed more food into her mouth, eating like a starved animal. “The next world is  _ Earth-931 _ . Within this one, there is a group similar to HYDRA wreaking havoc within New York. Unfortunately, there are no superheroes within this world, just fearful, brainwashed people.” Jade’s eye twitched at her words. Frigga brought out her golden crystal ball, silencing and stilling the people sitting around the table. 

Images of men in black suits and tactical gear killing civilians and releasing large, alien animals into the city made Peter, Wade, Domino, and MJ tense, Jade losing her smile and growing a stoic look. Dopinder frowned, Russell and Ned grimacing together as a large rhino-like animal stomped on a police officer. Weasel looked nauseous, and Cable raised an eyebrow. Flashes flew by quickly, until they disappeared and Frigga’s disappointed frown filled their visions. She placed the crystal ball back into her ethereal robes.

“They will need to be  _ removed  _ from  _ Earth-931 _ .” None needed her to elaborate. 

The way Frigga had said it, they all knew the group would have to die. But it still surprised them, and the newbies’ eyes went to Jade. Peter and MJ had been sitting on either side of her, and they were tense as they followed the others’ line of sight. Jade took a sip of her tea, a contemplating look in her eyes. The group sat in a tense silence for a few minutes, waiting for Jade’s inevitable response.

“If I find people that can be good,” she began, looking up at Frigga and meeting her eyes head-on, “may I bring them here?” Frigga’s lips twitched into a frown. Wade and Peter both took in deep breaths to refuse, but Domino and Ned were quick to place calming hands on their shoulders. The group watched the stare down commence between Frigga and Jade, neither one backing down. Finally, Frigga nodded once. 

“If you believe you can help them, then you may bring them here.” Jade bloomed again.

“Great!” She looked over at Peter, blinking up at him through her eyelashes. “Let’s leave at seven tomorrow morning, okay?” He nodded once and sighed as she scrambled away, humming the tune to  _ Pink Panther _ once again. 

“That’s it?” Wade asked, sounding upset. “What if the person she wants to bring back tries to kill her?” MJ sighed, standing. 

“Looks like she’ll need a babysitter, then.” MJ looked between Cable and Wade, smirking. “Congrats, you two have been promoted.” She walked away, following after Jade.

“I’m okay with that.”

“ _ I’m _ not.”


	6. The World Where HYDRA Runs Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What is more unfair  
> than having to choose  
> between being a monster  
> or being a hero?
> 
> (-when you have to be both.)
> 
> When you learn that  
> the road to Hell  
> is paved with more  
> than just good intentions."
> 
> \- you are not heads or tails; you are the coin  
> \- (m.a.w.)

**Chapter Six: The World Where HYDRA Runs Free**

Let’s set the scene.

New York, New York, USA -- the biggest city consisted of five boroughs, each filled with a couple million residents, and currently overrun with aliens the size of busses and flying vultures the size of Smart Cars. The sounds of screaming civilians, screeching vultures, exploding bombs, and extremely loud music filled the smokey air. Most of the city was covered in destruction, dust and crumbled debris covering cars and sidewalks -- along with civilians. 

However, not all was lost.

In the midst of it all, there were four “heroes” roaming around the city through various means of transportation, along with a computer genius and a taxi driver, and they were rounding up the aliens and vultures, forcing them into one singular spot where three others were waiting. It was rather easy to accomplish once Ned realized loud sounds made both of the creatures afraid. 

With special speakers from Jade attached to the roof of their taxi, Ned and Dopinder _(who had shied away from asking for superpowers via Frigga out of fear and shyness)_ drove around the outskirts of the middle of the city, making it easier for Peter, Domino, MJ, and Wade to grab the creatures’ attention and lead them to their three companions. Cable, Jade and Russell _(who Jade made a well-fitting, red and black supersuit)_ were waiting in the middle of a desolate Time Square, tense with uneasiness at the drastic change of New York in this realm. Stark Tower was nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash -- along with many buildings around it -- while the reclusive Tony Stark of this realm hid in his comfortable, Alaskan cottage home. 

_“Artisan, Cable, Firefist,”_ Peter breathed, hanging from the side of a building, both hiding and catching his breath. _“About fifty from my end are on their way to you.”_

“Ooh, okay!” Jade exclaimed, jumping atop an abandoned taxi and facing the direction Peter’s hoard was coming from with an excited grin. Her form was changing between an excited swirl of rainbows to coal black, her standard crime-fighting form. Cable and Russell were on the ground, facing opposite directions and rolling their eyes at Jade’s typical response while they waited anxiously. 

With the way this was going, they all knew that this organization was going to be difficult to kill off -- Peter and MJ even making plans to stay for two months to make sure. The hardest part would be finding out where their headquarters was, how many people they had, and where those people were located. Any wrong movement could spook them, so they had to go slow. 

_“Same here, guys,”_ MJ grunted, vaulting over another car maybe a mile away from the three heroes. Cable brought out his weapons, watching MJ’s figure racing towards them with a buzzing hoard behind her. _“I’d say I got eighty on their way.”_

 _“Ha!”_ Wade laughed, his voice high-pitched and overcome with mirth. He didn’t sound as breathless as MJ and Peter, though he had done much more running over the nine years he had on them. _“I got more than all of you._ **_Hundreds_ ** _are following me!”_ Jade heard someone snort in response, most likely rolling their eyes. Licking her lips, she pulled out two sets of thick-bristle brushes from her toolkit, and coated each one with the closest paint she had -- a neon green that reminded her of Glow-in-the-Dark sticks typically used during Halloween.

“I see Domino,” Russell stated, turning to his right and allowing his hands to catch on fire. The other two followed his line of sight, Cable letting out a harsh laugh. “Domino’s got ya beat, Wade.” Wade whined, appearing into view just as Domino drove a large, black Hummer through two abandoned cars, wearing a smug smirk with well over a hundred flying aliens following after her. Peter and MJ were next, bringing their own group to the party.

“ _Finally_ ,” Jade muttered, her excited smile growing into a maniacal grin, “initiating _SOS_ .” _(Speaker of Songs)_ A neon green symbol appeared with quick swipes of her brush, and a hundred four feet tall, two feet wide flying speakers appeared behind her. A bracelet on her wrist morphed into a forearm cuff, creating a hologram of controls for the speakers. Moving her fingers along the hologram controls, the floating speakers soared around the area and moved behind the creatures, releasing trap remixes as they funnelled the creatures into a tornado. Turning the hologram off, Jade grinned and cracked her neck, waiting for the cue.

The vultures and aliens screeched from the sound, swirling in a tornado-like function as they tried to escape the sounds that were entrapping them -- to no avail. Ned and Dopinder flew through the area, landing on a couple of the vultures that were sitting on the ground, effectively killing them. Pressing the gas, they stormed through the tornado of alien creatures and vultures, hitting many of them and giving them fatal wounds. When they stopped next to the group, Peter took roll and checked for any injuries -- MJ got a small cut on her arm, but as it was minor and would heal, he ushered her away.

 _“Revengers,”_ Peter muttered over the shared comms, slightly grimacing at the name Wade began calling them every chance he got, _“_ **_attack_ ** _.”_

Domino, MJ, and Cable began releasing bullets like a hailstorm -- calling to each other when they found an easier way to kill the flying menaces _(multiple bullets through the head seemed to do the trick, though fire would be the easiest solution)_. Wade was running around with maniacal laughter, swinging his blades and moving with the beat of the song -- sometimes singing along with it. Russell was holding his own with his fire power. He was focused on the ones in the sky, sending waves of fire towards them, and Domino made sure to have his back for those on the ground. Many of them that caught fire dropped immediately like flies, sometimes hitting others and setting them alight as well. Ned and Dopinder stayed within the taxi, the painted sigil of protection keeping them safe from the creatures, the hailstorm of bullets, and the falling bodies of fire. 

Knowing the two most vulnerable ones were safe, Peter kept his eyes on his team, watching over them as he moved to **Instant Kill** , the taser-like spider legs zapping and killing everything they touched. He didn’t realize Jade was so far away from the rest of the group, silently dodging hits and brushing neon paint on every creature she came across. The colors were bright on their dark feathers and skin, but they served no purpose other than annoying the victims. Jade swiped her paintbrush on another vulture’s back when it turned around and lunged at her. She squealed and fell onto her back, swiping a quick symbol in the air as the bird moved to peck at her face. 

“ _Artisan_!” Peter felt his heart drop, and he called out her name, grabbing Wade’s attention, and they both watched as thirty vultures and twenty alien creatures disappeared. 

Or rather, not _disappeared_ , but turned into clouds of neon green smoke, dissipating quickly. At the large and sudden disappearance of allies, the smarter ones of the vultures and alien creatures turned to Jade, who was sitting up and grinning like a mad woman, and began making their way to her. Peter sent out a web, watching as it stuck to her back, and pulled her towards the two men. She squealed, brushing her paint on every creature she passed, and kicking their feet out from under a fair few. When she made it back to Peter, Wade helping the girl up, she swiped her brushes in the same motion, twenty more creatures turning into vapor clouds.

“What the hell, Jade!” Wade scolded loudly, swiping at approaching creatures with his blades. Peter was right behind him, his spider legs zapping and killing many of the creatures. Jade frowned, eyes alight with confusion at Wade’s tone. “What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed!” She flinched back at his tone, though he and Peter didn’t notice. 

_“You haven’t been trained in close-combat, Jade,”_ Peter growled as he stabbed an alien in the stomach, resulting in Jade hearing him better over the comm. Which meant everyone else was listening, too. _“Paint something from a distance. This world is harsher than the others, and we_ **_cannot_ ** _have anyone messing up.”_ Her face went bright red with embarrassment at being called out like that, and hurt that Peter would say that. Wade fervently muttered his agreement and Jade pursed her lips.

 _“Shut the_ **_hell_ ** _up, Parker, Wilson,”_ MJ snarled out, the sound of her gunfire becoming louder. _“She was doing fine. Quit hovering her.”_ Jade licked her lips, eyes growing blurry with tears as she tried to figure out what to use to fight next. Her form flickered between blue and black as she forced herself to focus on the fight. 

Standing off to the side, she grabbed another paint brush, one with blue on the end of it. Painting a quick symbol, she willed a crossbow to fall into her hands. It was simple -- a brown wooden crossbow with no carvings for protection, and simple arrows with fire sigils on them -- but was her only long-range weapon on hand. It wasn’t entirely finished, considering she wanted to make many changes to it for protection and accuracy, but it would do the trick. Taking a deep breath, she stood on the abandoned taxi and pointed the arrow a bit above one of the vultures. Pulling the trigger, the arrow was released and clipped the vulture’s wing, setting it on fire. As the bird fell to the ground, screeching, the arrow was able to hit another creature and catch fire. Peter and Wade didn’t notice the arrows flying above their heads, but most of the team had noticed, glancing back at her and sharing worried looks amongst each other. 

Huffing in pride, she watched as the creatures screeched, falling onto the ground. She shot off three more arrows, catching a small amount of creatures on fire, before she was ambushed. Just as she was about to send off another arrow, she heard one of the speakers break. Eyes snapping upward, she watched as the speaker fell to the ground, three vultures escaping. The other speakers moved to fill in the spot, making sure no other creatures escaped. With their eyes narrowed on Jade, they swooped down towards her. 

Taking a deep breath, Jade narrowed her eyes and shot up at the birds, only managing to clip one before they were on her. She screamed as she felt their talons claw into her shoulder and chest, sinking into her skin. 

_“Artisan!”_ Domino called, sounding scared. Swallowing another scream, Jade had time to shoot an arrow at the second Vulture, watching it catch fire and screech until it died. The vulture sinking its talons into her shoulders began flapping its wings, pulling her up and off of the ground. Clenching her jaw in pain, Jade grabbed the last arrow stuck to the crossbow, dropping the empty piece of wood without care. 

“ _Jade_!” Wade and Peter both called out, pausing in their movements and looking up at her form. Wade had his hands on his head, and she could hear him hyperventilating. Peter called in his spider legs and was about to leave the tornado when the duo was overrun with more aliens and vultures. Dopinder and Ned began driving after the vulture, but it was flying too fast. 

Within seconds, Jade could no longer see her friends. 

Taking a deep breath, she forced her right arm up and stabbed the vulture with the arrow. The bird squawked in pain, talons spazzing and unraveling around one shoulder. Jade breathed out a groan of pain, watching as the vulture began to grow flames. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a knife from her pouch and sliced through the other talon digging into her shoulder. It didn’t take too long for Jade to be freefalling onto the roof of an apartment building, the flaming hunk of vulture falling past her and onto the street below. 

“Oof,” she grunted in pain as she landed harshly on the pebble-filled roof. Thankfully, the roof was fairly secured, so she didn’t fall through, though the tiny pebbles did painfully dig into her tender skin. She cried out at the pain that stabbed at her right shoulder, and took deep, heaving breaths to offset it. Reaching over her left hand, Jade uncurled each talon one by one, and threw it over the edge of the building with the rest of the body that smelled like chicken. She could hear her team yelling in her ear through the comms, but couldn’t make out the words. When she could finally articulate, she muttered, “that _hurt_ ,” with an ending whimper. 

_“Artisan, where are you?”_ Ned asked worriedly, the yelling quieting to panicked mumbles and gunfire. _“Dopinder and I will come get you.”_ Jade took a breath to respond, listening to the rumble of Dopinder’s taxi turning on, when MJ cut in.

 _“No!”_ MJ growled, releasing a warcry as she killed another alien. _“Domino and I are on our way to her.”_ Jade took a deep breath, closing her eyes and grunting in pain. 

Breathing deeply through her nose in an effort to curb the nausea that was suddenly curling at her innards, she heard the slight movement of the pebbles lying on the roof. Blinking her eyes open, she looked over to where the sound came from, an eyebrow twitching as her heart stuttered in her chest. 

There, standing in front of her, were people she never thought she would have to see again, or at least until she was ready -- the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow. Their eyes were cold when they regarded her, and each had a weapon pointed towards her. A movement behind them caught her attention, two figures moving closer. One was a bald man dressed in black, eyes black with anger and ugly scowl covering his face, and the other was a boy around Peter’s age. She only had time to catch sight of his light green eyes before there was a click of the Black Widow’s handgun, and suddenly her eyes were back on the red haired woman before her. 

“Um, hello. Nice gun?” Her small voice brought them out of their silence. 

“ _Alpha_.” The voice was deep and angry, coming from the bald man. He had turned around, looking at the sudden inferno Russell created rising over the buildings and scorching the rest of the alien creatures and vultures. “Grab her.” 

The young teenager next to the man stepped forward as the two adults took a single step back. When Jade was finally able to see the teenager, she pursed her lips to stifle a gasp.

The boy was _almost_ the carbon copy of the Winter Soldier, just younger and paler. He wore black tactical gear with a top that looked similar to a straight jacket, and a utility belt was wrapped around his waist with fancy guns and knives attached. As he got closer, she noticed his hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and appeared to be black. His jaw was strong, and he didn’t appear to have any blemishes, but his striking green eyes were dazed and dead. Jade couldn’t see any hope in them, and it scared her. _(Not that she would tell anyone that.)_

Without her noticing, he brought a hand back -- both were flesh and blood -- and punched her. Her head snapped back and the back of it hit the roof with a hard and loud crack, causing a flash of pain before darkness consumed her. 

“Take her to the blacksite,” the man growled under his breath, “they are destroying my life’s work. I want everything about them _falling_ from her lips.” 

“Yes, sir,” the boy replied, picking her up and holding her in his arms. 

“Take out any comms and tracking devices, and once at the blacksite, remove any weapons she may have.” The teenager quickly removed her comms, crushing it under his foot -- not completely breaking the comm _(made for this exact reason)_ , and relaying everything else to her team -- and searched her prone body quickly for trackers that were both within her watch and the lining of her Aesir-fabric suit, finding neither and, therefore, removing neither. “Good. Now, go.” He nodded and threw her over his shoulder, walking calmly towards the edge of the building and jumping off, landing steadily on the ground and walking off without injury. Walking to a sewer drain, he easily took off the lid and threw it to the side, slowly descending. When he was gone, the leader turned to the remaining two, his voice a low growl. “Remove those _superheroes_ from existence. Or your son will be next.” 

“Yes, sir.” The two copied the teenager’s movements, jumping off of the building and landing without injury, and quickly made their way to the fight. 

Peter and Wade cursed under their breath as they killed more alien stragglers. Domino and MJ were going revamping previously set contingency plans over the comms while Ned tracked Jade’s movements. Within moments, the two HYDRA assassins were standing before them, and Peter would have gasped if he wasn’t incredibly livid. Standing before the Revengers and fifteen still-alive aliens and vultures, stood the Black Widow and the Winter Soldier, eyes determined and faces set in stone. Peter didn’t see the typical brainwashed look in the Winter Soldier’s eyes -- in fact, both assassins looked as in-control mentally and physically as Peter definitely was. 

_“We got company,”_ Peter growled into the comms. _“Wade, Domino, and Cable. Take care of them; we got the others.”_ Wade let out a dark chuckle.

 _“My pleasure.”_

_“TRACE,”_ Peter continued, killing another five aliens with his spider legs, _“Is her tracker still on?”_ There was a brief silence, the tapping sound of computer keys filling the void. 

_“Yes, it’s still on. They’re on a train or something, headed-,”_ Ned paused, sighing, _“-headed north. I’ll look into it.”_

It took an hour to get rid of both of the remaining aliens and vultures, and the two assassins. Domino fought the Black Widow for a long time, until there was a resigned light in her eyes. The assassin knew she wasn’t going to make it out alive, especially with Domino’s power over luck, so she stopped fighting. A single shot downed the female assassin. The Winter Soldier fought Wade and Cable to the best of his abilities, killing the Merc with a Mouth a couple of times before his partner was killed. The battle had frozen while the Soldier watched the Widow fall, a grunt leaving his lips and his shoulders sagging -- as though relieved. Sighing, he turned to Wade and Cable, a resigned look on his face, and went down successfully for the last time. 

“Good work, team,” Peter commended, barely keeping his thoughts straight as the urge to find their missing member raged inside of him. The group gathered in the middle of the street, Ned and Dopinder pulling up beside them in the typical yellow taxi. Neither one was smiling, both looking rather scared at seeing both Wade and MJ practically frothing at the mouth, aching to get a move on towards Jade. Domino and Russell were nervously stretching their limbs and sharing looks of calmness. Cable had a faraway look on his face, but it was a mystery Peter didn’t want to waste time unraveling. “TRACE. Anything?”

“Yeah,” he replied, stepping out of the taxi, placing his laptop on the trunk lid. The group hovered around it, eyes split between the two. He pointed onto the screen where numerous red and blue dots were situated. “This is us -- you are the red ones, Dopinder and I are the blue ones. _This_ one is Jade.” He pointed to a rapidly moving red dot. “From what I have gathered, they are taking her to a blacksite, probably by car or a motorcycle -- right where the _Avengers Compound_ is in our world.”

“Wait,” Domino began, looking at the bodies of the two assassins and then back to Peter, “could this world be the opposite of ours? Like, good guys are the bad guys?” Dopinder was biting his lip worriedly, and everyone was looking to Peter for guidance.

“No. If it was, Frigga would have told us. From what I understand, Captain America is dead and Tony Stark is a hermit -- surprisingly enough. Asgard does not exist, therefore neither do Thor or Loki, which is good considering they are the heavy hitters of our Avengers. All heroes we know in our world that were brainwashed to be with HYDRA are still under HYDRA’s control, here.” Peter looked around the team. “Our original mission was to destroy the group. We got rid of their toys, and their best assassins. Now, we develop a fool-proof plan,” he looked to a quiet Wade, a frowning Cable, a worried Domino, an angry Russell, and a determined MJ, “and destroy the group as a whole.” 

“What do we tell Frigga?” Ned asked worriedly, looking as though he wanted to bite his nails. Peter and MJ swallowed harshly, sharing a look that was not missed by the four newbies. MJ shook her head, eyebrows furrowing as she stared at a civilian’s car off to the side.

“It’s my fault she’s gone,” Peter bit out, clenching his jaw. “If anyone is to tell Frigga, it will be me.” Wade scoffed darkly.

“Don’t take all of the hate, Spdiey. I am to blame just as much as you.” Wade took off his mask and rubbed at his nose, the anger burning his eyes and sending nervous shivers down Ned and Dopinder’s spines. “Quit blaming yourself and let’s figure out this plan. Who knows what they will do to her there?” There was a quiet look shared between the two red-colored men, MJ taking over when they did not say anything else. 

“After we save Jade, we’ll tell Frigga,” MJ stated, glancing off to the left where the civilian car was still sitting. She could feel there was something there, but seeing as whatever it was did not attack, she did not bother it. She turned back to the others. “If we tell Frigga now, she’ll try to come here, herself, and put herself in danger.” MJ looked around the group with a confident expression. “This is _our_ mission; only we can save Jade.”

“And if they’ve hurt her?” Russel asked, his voice worried. “What do we do then?” The group was silent, looking at each other. Cable was the only one able to form a reply, his faraway expression replaced with new determination.

“Simple: we get our _Revenge_.”

~+~+~+~

When Jade awoke, she was in a cell -- the sound of dripping water coming from the pipes above filling her ears. 

Huffing, she moved to sit up from laying on the cold, achingly hard floor, her vision swimming and head pounding once before it faded. While her suit was black and made of Aesir fabric, it did little to provide her any warmth, only there to help protect her body from physical harm. She was lucky her black cloak was still clasped to her after having insisted it be made and worn during battle. She would never tell Frigga that she was self-conscious of her body in such a beautifully made suit, but the fact that she _was_ did not change. The cloak provided her a sense of comfort and security, and she was very thankful it was still there. She looked at her watch.

_01:45 A.M.; March 12, 2015; Location: Upstate New York._

Jade frowned at the coordinates listed. She was over five hours away from Time Square, where the fight had been, and was currently sitting in the same spot the Avengers Compound would have been. Her hand automatically moved to her back and she huffed in annoyance at herself. She had left her knapsack in Dopinder’s taxi, so she didn’t have any drawing pads or paints, and her utility belt was missing. Both empty spaces on her body felt cold and out of place, but in all honesty, she could find _other_ things to paint with -- someone’s blood, for example. 

Jade thought she could feel her father’s serum running through her veins, trying to heal her quickly and thoroughly. Thankfully, she was too pre-serum-Steve-Rogers short for it to be considered -- along with them not realizing she was the daughter of the first Super Soldier. With this, she would be able to heal quickly and, furthermore, _quietly_. 

The sound of something small hitting concrete hit her ears, startling her heart, though she made no outward change. Turning back to the cell-bars, she moved to stand up from the dirty floor, glancing around at the dark cell before moving to the iron bars. The young man who kidnapped her _(the memory of the sharp pain of knuckles hitting her face before darkness took over stood out strongly)_ resided in the cell, silent and brooding. He was sitting in the dark, throwing a rubber ball against the wall between cells, catching it, and re-throwing it to pass the time -- the dull _“thunk”_ sounds filling the hallway of the cold cell-block. 

She pursed her lips, neutrally eyeing the silent teenager while gripping the bars -- they would be easy to bend. Was he quiet because he was trained to say nothing when facing a prisoner? Or was he quiet because he didn’t care? 

“Who are you?” She asked gently, her voice soft yet loud in the achingly large and empty cell-block hallway. He remained silent, continuing his game of catch. Jade counted the pounding of her heartbeat -- or at least, the pounding she could hear in her ears -- to calm herself. After a couple of minutes, she continued, “My name is Jade. What is yours?” He ignored her again, but she didn’t let it get to her. “I can do this all day.” The teenager grunted in indifference and stopped bouncing his ball, standing in one graceful motion and moving to his own cell-bars, eyes narrowed on the girl. 

He stood in the yellow-tinted light, his features bathing in it. The young man didn’t seem to be annoyed by her, or angered that she was asking questions. Instead, he was analyzing her with a calculating stare -- an indifferent, neutral one that hid what he was thinking.

“Alpha.” She blinked. _What?_

“That’s not a _real_ name,” she almost whispered, a frown tugging at her lips. “What’s your _real_ name? What did your parents call you?” He remained silently stoic, eyes never leaving her own. When he replied, he was firm with a neutral, bored tone. 

“ _Alpha_.” His voice was rough with disuse, and Jade could tell he didn’t like to talk; or maybe he was not allowed to, so he learned to keep his mouth shut and prefer the silence?

With the cell-block quiet of all human-made noises but full of buzzing ceiling lights, the two teens took the moment to analyze each other. 

The _Alpha,_ Jade hated calling him something so dehumanizing _(even in her own head),_ still wore his black tactical suit made of leather, but his hair was now a tangled black mess of knots that barely passed his ears. There were a few tears in his clothes, but he had done his best to patch them up -- crudely, but sufficiently -- and there was a black shock collar around his neck with silver spikes, a long black leash tied to the cell bars. Jade frowned at that. She hadn’t noticed the collar and leash when they were on top of the roof, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t too out of it to notice it at the time.

His shoes were black boots, his skin was pale and grimy with dirt and blood, and his face was set in a neutral expression. She wondered if his eyes were green, like she could faintly remember. All in all, it was obvious to Jade that he was the son of the Winter Soldier -- her non-biological “uncle” -- but he was the “lucky one,” seeing as he had full use of flesh and bone limbs. Jade would not be able to tell who his mother was by looking at him -- Barnes’ eyes certainly weren’t green -- but seeing as she had seen the Black Widow moments before she was taken, Jade guessed it was her.

The woman _had_ cocked her gun the moment Jade took interest in her son, after all.

Alpha, on the other hand, was in secret awe of the alien-like girl before him. When he had brought her here, she smelt _off_ \-- like something he had smelt once and provided a feeling of warmth in his chest, but had never smelt again. After setting her in her cell and moving to his own, he felt like her scent was stuck in his nose. All he could smell was her, and...he was feeling the same foreign warmth. It scared him, but in the same way, he didn’t want it to go away.

When he tried to force himself to think of something _other_ than her scent, he was caught up on her hair. How was her hair a rainbow of colors? Do people have natural hair colors like blue and pink? Were colors always that vibrant and... _non-gray_ ? All he had known was the dull, cold, colorless walls of the cell-block, sometimes seeing a dark, scarlet red when he trained in the Red Room every other year. Of course, he had gone out and shadowed his parents when they did their missions _(had only done two missions by himself)_ , but he was always focused on the mission and making sure he didn’t get anything wrong. He didn't have _time_ to focus on flowers or different colored hair and clothing! 

“Are you always this quiet?” Jade asked curiously. The teenager’s expression didn’t change, nor did any part of his body move. “I’m usually _much_ louder,” she paused, “when I’m not inventing or painting.” When he didn’t respond, she turned to look around her cell. 

The cell was small -- much smaller compared to the one the Asset resided in, from what she could see -- and was made up of the same dark grey, cold, concrete blocks. Against the cold wall, there was a small, thin cot that had blood and dirt stains, and when she went closer, she could smell the scent of stale urine on it. A gray, cotton blanket was thrown to the floor in the middle of the cell, as if thrown in by a guard, and Jade realized that was what she had been sleeping on. Jade sighed, moving to grab the blanket, fold it up, and sit on it while leaning against the opposite wall -- far away from the urine-smelling cot, and the suspicious bucket that was sitting in the corner. She wondered why they were in her cell. While it wasn’t five-star accommodations, it was still something she hadn’t expected. Wasn’t she supposed to be _tortured_?

“When do you think they will be back?” He didn’t reply, but she heard him move to sit back down on the floor -- his shoe scuffing once before he was completely silent. She kicked a decent sized rock out of her way before she sat down against the slab of rock between each cell, facing the smelly cot. “It’s odd that they would give me accommodations -- not a nice change of scenery at all, unfortunately, though to be expected.” 

Jade knew if one of her teammates was in her position, they would be annoyed and break out of the cell immediately, but Jade was patient -- and, if she were honest, felt like she had nothing better to do. And seeing as this world wasn’t going to end in _hell-fire_ , she was inclined to wait for her team to rescue her, a calmer version of a damsel in distress. The Asset was throwing his ball again, the dull “thud” becoming repetitive but not annoying. 

After a quiet moment, Jade continued, “Did you know our fathers were best friends growing up?” He didn’t stop. Maybe he didn’t care? Inwardly, she shrugged and turned her head to watch his dark cell in the dark. While she couldn’t see him, she could still hear him. “I used to look at pictures of when our fathers were teenagers, like us, when I was younger. When I thought I could have a dad.” She paused, licking her dry lips and thinking. “You look a lot like your dad -- the Winter Soldier.” The ball stopped being thrown against the wall. “But I can see _her_ , too. You have her green eyes; they’re very pretty, by the way.”

Alpha clenched his hand around the rubber ball, feeling the hard rubber give away under his fingers. This girl -- this _alien girl_ that talked too much _knew of his parents_ ? His eyebrows furrowed. It wasn’t like HYDRA was a secret anymore, _especially_ after Captain America died and no one else could stand up to them, but those that knew of his own connection to the previous generation of assassins _worked_ for HYDRA. His jaw began to ache from clenching. 

How did this girl know? Did her little _friends_ know, too? 

_Not like they’d be around much longer._ The cruel thought popped into his head before he could send it away. It wasn’t good to place so much confidence in his parents -- they had made mistakes before. After all, _he_ was a perceived mistake and was punished for it every chance they got. His father’s title meant a lot of things to him: father, teacher, punisher, leader, but also the Alpha’s future. The Soldier was always cold to him, and they didn’t really connect over anything, unlike he had with his mother. The Alpha never had a choice with what he wanted to be, but sometimes, when he watched the seemingly excited and fascinated technicians work on his father’s arm, he wondered if he could be a technician instead of an assassin. But as quick as that curious thought came all those years ago, he pushed it deep into the back of his mind to never think of it again -- until now. 

The Alpha remained silent but turned his head to look at the girl’s cell. He wished he could see through the smothering darkness, just to see what expressions she was making -- or maybe gain the courage to ask why she thought he looked like his mother. He was always compared to his father, but never his mother, and...he was happy this alien girl said he had her eyes, and that they were pretty. It was his favorite thing about his mother.

Out of both of his parents, his mother was closer to him. He lived with her until he was twelve, and while she was cold to everyone outside of their room, she was different inside of it. He could remember his mother wrapping her arms around him as they began to fall asleep, whispering softly to him in Russian and assuring him he was good, and that -- he shook the memory away. No matter how hard he wished, he could never be what she claimed him to be.

Jade hummed at his silence, leaning back and crossing her legs, turning to stare at the dull wall. Alpha worried she could sense his emotions or read his thoughts, too. He had noticed her powers of disappearing enemies, only clouds of green smoke floating in their place. She was powerful, no matter what her friends thought, and he had no doubt HYDRA would teach her how to control them better, how to fight better, and furthermore, expand them into something more. He shivered at the thought. His transformation was painful, and hers probably would be, too.

Ned’s voice danced through her head, comparing her to the Captain. Jade frowned.

“ _I_ look like my dad. _And_ my mother, but I had his eyes -- especially before the accident.” Her words grabbed his attention, and he pushed his thoughts away. A small spark of bitter anger lit within her. She smothered it. “It’s funny how parents think they are still important to you when they never bothered to be in your life; that they _mean_ something to you, other than the stranger they are. I suppose you’re luckier than me, considering your parents are in your life, but I think...I’m luckier than you in that same way. If my father being in my life resulted in me having to be somewhere like here -- locked in a cell, forced to come out to fight other people’s battles -- then I don’t think I’d want him to be in my life.” She let out a breathy laugh, a bitterly amused grin appearing on her face as she stared at the dull wall, memories flashing before her eyes. “In my world, he abandoned me; in this world, he’s dead; and at home,” a genuine smile tugged at her lips, “in my _new_ world, he doesn’t know I exist. He will come to know, eventually, but for now, I am at peace.” Jade blinked, pushing the thoughts and images away to focus on the present, staring down at her hands. “Your dad and my own are Avengers in my new world; _superheroes_. Ironic, huh?” She turned and gave the darkness a smile, chuckling lowly. 

Alpha was quiet, frowning and brooding in the darkness. What did she mean by _“other worlds”_ ? There were worlds other than this? How could that be possible? Doctor Adamms, the scientist that had enhanced him further than _anything_ done to his father, had never spoken of this possibility, and he was the smartest man Alpha knew. He would have to ask him about this once they called for him -- _or ask her._ The thought almost made him snort incredulously. 

There was no way this girl would reveal a secret as important as that _without_ torture.

“There isn’t enough time to explain how it all works,” she suddenly began, making his head snap over to her in shock and befuddlement, “but essentially, I created a device that lets me travel between worlds. At first, it was because those I viewed as family either died or abandoned me for better lives. I didn’t want to be left alone in a world that didn’t want me, you know?” He blinked, turning his head and looking down at his dirty and calloused hands. 

His hands had done much damage over the seventeen years he had been alive. He’s tortured and killed many people -- some innocents like her, others getting what they deserved. Blood would always be on his hands; there would always be red in his ledger, with no way to remove it. But he’s always maintained the thought that, one day, he could. Maybe one day, when he escaped HYDRA or there was no one left in charge of him, he could work on cleaning it. He could become a mechanic and create world-changing inventions; do _good_. If he was smart enough, he could make money off of them while saving innocent lives -- something HYDRA was supposed to be about, but lost along the way. 

But those were foolish wishes of a child. Too many governments and organizations knew who he was and what he had done. He could blame indocternization or brainwashing, or perhaps Stockholm Syndrome, but in the end, they would always want his head on a stick. He would never be able to get free of HYDRA, and in the same way, he would never be able to get free of this world. He scoffed, shaking his head and looking at the dull wall.

In this way, he supposed, he was a lot like that alien girl.

“It doesn’t matter, though.” She pursed her lips. “Soon, my friends will come for me, and they will burn this entire organization to the ground.” Alpha felt his thoughts pause in disbelief. 

_Burn HYDRA to the ground?_ He frowned, shaking his head. _How could a team of nine people with only six, actively dangerous members, tear down an entire organization with over millions of followers all over the world?_

“And I think you would make a great addition to our team.” Jade was smiling into the shadows, staring at the spot she assumed he was _(due to the scoffing and intakes of breath she could hear)_. Alpha pursed his lips, looking down at his hands once again and feeling a dark self-loathing filling his chest, pushing away the warmth that had slowly appeared when the girl said he would be great for their little team. “It will take some time for the others to get used to it, but they will. They will argue and they will fight, but in the end, they will grow to care for you.” 

Alpha took a deep breath, trying to push the crushing feeling of fear and grief in his chest. He wanted to listen to her soft voice, and trust her sweet words so badly. His thoughts raced with everything that was wrong with him. He was a monster and, in the end, his parents will have killed her friends and he will have to kill her, _after_ she spilled her secrets. The thought made his stomach curl with dread and the feeling of coldness ran through him. Shockingly enough, he didn’t want this girl to be killed -- no matter how weird and talkative she was. Or how much her weird scent made weird _feelings_ pop up. Jade didn’t notice his emotional and mental dilemma, focusing on counting the pinging sound of water droplets hitting the ground.

“But…,” the shocking sound of his deep voice startled her into looking over at his cell, eyes wide in surprise. Jade had hoped he would speak to her, but without being able to see him, she was unable to tell if she was making any sort of impact. “I have...I have _done_ things.” He took a deep breath to calm himself. Alpha couldn’t believe he had actually fallen into her subtle demands to speak to her. His eyes went to the hallway where he half-expected someone to storm in and grab ahold of him, bringing him into the Room With The Chair and torture him back into submission. Or erase his thoughts of everything, leaving him a shell of the boy he was. “ _Bad_ things I have done.” Jade pursed her lips, body subconsciously leaning closer towards the doors.

“I can see the good in you; I know you have the ability to be good. Everyone else just has to see it, too, and one day, they will.” His heart stuttered at the words so similar to what his mother would whisper to him before they would fall asleep. “You could be a _hero_.”

His mother told him of dreams she had. Of a place, in a different time, where she turned good and decimated HYDRA. Where she had him and lived happily in the city, in one of the tallest towers overlooking the bustling city life. A place his father wouldn’t be, because he loved someone else _much_ more than he could ever love her, but it would be alright, because they would be together forever with no worries and no strife. His mother would get a job at a cafe, serving coffee and baked goods all day, and he could go to school, learn everything she never did. He could become a mechanic or an engineer, and spend his life inventing things; _good_ things.

He had never wanted something so badly in his life than he did that. 

“But I’m a monster.” Jade almost didn’t hear his softly spoken words -- a broken whisper between two broken people. She could hear how hard and fast his heart was pounding, and could smell something similar to salty tears in the air. “Monsters aren’t heroes, they’re villains.” 

“If you are a monster, then so am I.” Once again, he felt something pause within him. Jade licked her dry lips, breathing deeply to gain courage. “And so are my friends. Most of us have killed innocent people for the greater good; some of us by accident, others on purpose.” She shook her head. “It’s unfair for heroes to also be monsters, but they are two sides of the same coin. The road to Hell is paved with much more than good intentions, and to protect the majority, a minority must always pay the price. That is why this HYDRA will fall to the ground: so that we can save the rest of the world from their tyranny.” Alpha was silently brooding, thoughts running through his mind in a chaotic circle. 

Knowing the teen would not be replying anytime soon, Jade closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of stale water, human excrement and bloody dirt, and began planning her escape.

Soon, the guards would come and take her away to be tortured. As she did not know if her friends were in the middle of a fight, she could not count on their timing being amazing, or what damage they were causing at that moment. All she had to go on was that there was one hostile near her _(no matter how much she_ **_hated_ ** _to call him that, too)_ , and there could be multiple outside of the cells with fancy guns and dangerous skills. She could cut one of them open and use their blood to paint a portal into existence -- she had ones hidden away in her drawing pad for desperate measures -- but there was no guarantee she could use it before they killed her. 

But furthermore, Jade had been through _numerous_ “trials and tribulations,” both in her own world and the new ones she stumbled through, and she had secrets hidden away. She survived every abuse she had come across, and she knew she would survive whatever this world threw at her. The only issue was that those secrets she had hidden so _well_ \-- secrets she had hoped would never see the light of day -- could pop up while she was tortured. She didn’t need that to be nagging at her mind anymore than she needed torture _(which also wasn’t needed)_. 

“What…,” Alpha began, startling her out of her thoughts but not enough to open her eyes, “what are they like?” Jade tilted her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows in thought. He cleared his throat and clarified. “My parents.” Jade hummed lightly.

“At home, your mother and father are free from HYDRA’s control. A long time ago, a man named Clint Barton was assigned to kill your mother.” Alpha remembered that. His mother told him about that moment when he was seven; when he asked for a story before bed. Barton was an agent for a newly born organization, and the Black Widow was becoming more dangerous as the days went on. Barton and her fought and when she was about to lose, Barton offered a spot on the team. Before she could think about it, Alpha’s father appeared and gunned the agent down, bringing her into HYDRA. She signed her life away that day, and she regretted it ever since. “When he was about to kill her, he asked if she truly wanted to die fighting for a cause that would never truly win. She was confused; didn’t understand what he was talking about. In the end, he convinced her to leave the KGB behind and joined him at a USA Government organization called SHIELD.

“Soon enough, they became partners, and then close friends; they _trusted_ each other.” She paused at this moment, licking her lips. “They worked well together for a long time before her boss decided to create a group of gifted individuals that would fight powerful organizations like HYDRA and aliens like the Chitauri from harming the Earth and its people. They were known as the _Avengers_ . My parents were a part of the group, too, but they _hated_ each other. Fought and argued every chance they got and annoyed your mother half to death.” Alpha felt a grin tug at his lips. “In the end, they became a team and fought together to dismantle HYDRA, succeeding in the end. Your father, the Winter Soldier, was a tool of HYDRA’s; a weapon.

“He was a childhood friend of a man named Steve Rogers; they went into World War II together.” Alpha could hear the almost bitterlike sadness in her voice, feeling a frown come to his own lips. “They were trying to stop a mad scientist named Arnim Zola-,” Alpha flinched at the name; she truly did know _everything_ , “-but your father, Sergeant James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, fell off the train. He lost an arm and was captured by HYDRA.” He nodded absentmindedly. He knew this story well enough. After Captain America died, HYDRA knew no one could save Alpha’s father and allowed him to regain his memories. Broken beyond repair, his father had no choice but to stay with the organization, torturing and killing without a conscience to fight his orders. “Steve Rogers found and killed Arnim Zola, but because of this, he was forced to crash land in the Atlantic and become trapped for seventy years. In 2011, he was found and revived, and had since joined the Avengers as their leader and Captain, much to my mother’s dismay.

“Your father had been brainwashed and forced into doing heinous acts against others for many decades. After the Avengers exposed HYDRA, he was able to escape. He traveled around the world in an effort to remember who he was, and in the end, he found Steve Rogers again.” Jade paused, sighing. “There was an issue between all of our parents and, in the end, Rogers and Barnes left my mother to die in a cold wasteland.” Alpha felt his heart drop, though he was not surprised his father had done something like that. “They split up for a long time, and those that were not on my mother’s side were labeled terrorists. And that is where it ends.”

“What?” He asked, slightly disappointed at the abrupt ending of the story. He was enraptured by the girl’s story, hanging on every detail -- though Jade would never know -- and to have it end so suddenly put a damper on his mood. 

“The new world is different from the one I came from. The one I came from is filled with people I hate, and that includes your parents.” She licked her lips. “In my world, they left my mother alone and when the true danger came, none of them were prepared. There was an alien force -- a Mad Titan that does not exist in this world -- that killed off half of the world with a snap of his fingers. Half of the Avengers faded into dust and the other half went to my mother, begging for help.” Jade scoffed, clenching her jaw. For once, Alpha noted, her voice was not airy and kind, but instead rather bitter and angered. “My mother spent five years of her life working on finding a way to defeat that Titan. She saved the entire galaxy single-handedly and died in the process. And instead of bringing her body back home, they _left_ it there, and instead of becoming a father to me like he _should_ have years prior, Rogers traveled back in time to be with his ex-girlfriend, along with Barnes. They were _terrible people_.” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and setting to remove her anger and bitterness. 

Alpha was silent, seemingly worried about getting her upset -- however odd that feeling was; he could easily overpower her, so why did he fear her? Jade didn’t give him much time to brood in his thoughts, deciding to speak once again while she was calm.

“I do not know our parents in the new world, as I have not met them. But I think, if anything,” she muttered as her soul began to settle, “your parents, in my new world, would like to meet you. You are their son, biologically, and that is how you will remain; no matter what.” She took in another deep breath, her head tilting. “What has happened to my world has not happened to the new one, yet. My friends and I -- my _team_ and I are going to stop it. No one will ever experience the pain I felt. We need all the help we can get, and if you are willing, you have a spot with us.” She didn’t open her eyes as her consciousness began to drift, sleep slowly taking over her form. “I’ll keep you clossse.” She dragged out the last syllable as she fell asleep.

Alpha was silent, listening as her breathing evened out. She would be asleep for only a few more hours -- the guards were due to arrive with his parents, soon -- but he could use those peaceful hours to think. He wanted to believe everything she was saying, yet it sounded too good to be true. And to defeat a cosmic alien force his own parents, who were stronger than anyone he knew, could not defeat? If his parents couldn’t do it, then it was something _no one_ could do. He shook his head, sending the thoughts away and turning to the wall.

But as he thought about everything she had said, he realized that, over everything else, the one thought that stood out in his mind was: _I don’t want to be like my parents._

If he stayed, he would end up like his father. 

If he stayed, he would end up like his mother.

If he stayed, he would never get out of HYDRA alive.

(Jade's Bow)

(ALPHA)


End file.
